A Virtual Switch
by Cthepolkadots
Summary: Updated! Chapter 14 is up. Edd needs to make something really incredible to impress the graduate school he wants to go to. How about a virtual reality? What happens when it glitches while he and Kevin are running a few tests? Will Edd be able to fix them before the end of summer?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I was working on writing the next chapter for my Mystery Music collection when this idea popped into my head. I couldn't focus on writing the other story because of it. So here we are with the first chapter of A Virtual Switch. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of this except for the plot I attempt to write. I also don't own the Matrix. Sad really...**

* * *

It was summer vacation.

A very special summer vacation for the Ed trio; it was the last ever. Three years of college were over and after senior year all the graduates would be heading out into the "real world" to start the next phase of life. Eddy was going to be working with his dad at the car dealership. Ed was discovered by a local comic book artist and was offered an apprenticeship. Edd, however, was going to graduate school for computer sciences.

The smartest of the three had already applied to a few of the more prestigious universities around the country, but was constantly getting the same answer: grades are important, but what else have you done? So, not only was this summer the last chance for the three to hang out and enjoy their disappearing childhood, it was also the best time for Edd to work on a project that would assure his future with the college of his choice. So while the other two Ed's were off working their part time jobs for their future, Edd propped open the door to his garage and was working on his own.

It was a fairly mild summer day all things considered. Edd had a few fans going in the garage as he typed away on his computer. Today was construction day for the genius. He'd spent the last few weeks programming his project, now he just needed to create the system that would run it. Soon the garage was filled with sparks and sizzling sounds as he welded. Small clouds of smoke were floating gently through the open garage door as his project slowly took form. As Edd hooked up the wires to the main body of his project, a low rumbling came down the street of the cul-de-sac.

Kevin pulled into the driveway of his house and cut the engine of his motorcycle. Removing his helmet and securing it to the saddlebag, he glanced over at the open garage of his neighbor. The air inside was slightly hazy from smoke, but he easily see Edd moving around inside with some sort of helmet looking thing. Curiosity got the better of him, and Kevin sauntered across the street.

Edd had just finished plugging all the wires of his project into the server he had set up on his desk. The helmet's lights blinked on to show it was receiving power. He smiled as he went back to the computer screen to start the diagnostics.

Kevin reached the entrance to the garage and leaned against the wall. "Hey Double Dork! What are you doin' in here?"

Edd jumped slightly at the sudden noise. He turned in his chair to face the other, "Greetings Kevin! I'm just working on my graduate school project. Also, might I mention that we are in our twenties now. Don't you think we are past the childish nicknames?"

Kevin chuckled, "Nah, man. You'll always be Double Dork to me." Everyone in the cul-de-sac had reconciled their differences with each other years ago. Between growing up and becoming semi-responsible adults, and the Ed's putting a stop to their scamming at the beginning of high school, there really wasn't anything for the group to fight over. Some of them were closer than others, but everyone got along well enough. "What are you doing for your project?"

"Well, the general concept is a full immersion virtual reality. At the moment, I have a basic landscape and a small combat system. It would take a whole team of programmers to create an entire world, but if I can make a tutorial of sorts that will most likely be more than enough to impress my future college."

Kevin furrowed his brows in confusion. "Full immersion…? You mean like those special goggles you wear and you see the game in front of you?"

Edd smiled at the redhead. "In a way, yes. This takes it one step further. Instead of just your eyes and ears being the only two senses utilized in the game, as it is with the virtual reality systems on the market right now, this system will take all five of your senses and put you directly into the game. You will be able to see, hear, taste, touch, and even smell the environment around you, all with just your mind. Your physical body stays in the real world, connected to the system."

"Fuck dude! That's some Matrix shit right there."

"Language Kevin. But yes, I suppose you are correct, it is a bit like the Matrix. Less dangerous though. If you die in the game, it shouldn't kill you in real life."

"Awesome. So can I try it out?" Kevin shrugged off the wall and made his way over to where Edd was sitting.

Edd began rambling and fidgeting with his hands."W-well I don't know if it's r-ready yet. There are still a bunch of tests I need to run and the system could be u-unsafe, I m-mean what would I do if something went wr-wrong and your mind was t-trapped in there or you lost one of your senses when you came back out. I can't say for sure that it is a f-foolproof system and it would be better to ju-"

Kevin grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to turn all the way around in the swivel chair. "Dork. Calm down. You're like, the smartest guy in the history of smart guys. I'm sure it's just fine. Besides, you have to test it at some point anyway. Might as well test it now." Kevin smirked as he dropped into the other chair next to the desk. He leaned over and grabbed the helmet, turning it over in his hands to get a look at the inside. There were wires neatly bundled all across the top and two sensors near where someone's temples would sit that looked like high tech suction cups. Kevin flipped the helmet expertly in his hands and dropped it on his head. He looked expectantly at the man across from him as he grinned and crossed his arms

Edd sighed and turned to face the computer screen. He quickly checked the results of the diagnostics he had run earlier, everything looked okay. It was running the way it was supposed to, so it would be logical to test it now, right? He was going to test it himself in a couple of days, but this was probably a better idea anyway. What if something went wrong while he was in there? Who would fix it if not himself?

"Are you a hundred percent sure you want to do this?" Edd asked nervously.

"Just do it, Dork. What's the worst that could happen." Kevin leaned back in the chair a bit, looking smug.

You could get your mind trapped in a virtual reality and never be able to escape. Edd sighed again and brought up the program. "Alright, I just need a bit of information from you before we can start. How tall are you?"

"6'1""

"Approximate weight?"

"190?"

"Do you want to be a swordsman or an archer? Those are the only two I have programmed right now."

Kevin laughed, "Definitely a swordsman."

"You understand that I have no idea how your mind will process this. The system is designed to be as consistent as it can be with the real world, but everything will still be slightly digital, even your body. It could make you go insane, do you understand the risks?" Edd was scared. Kevin might be a willing participant in this, but it was still his program. If something went wrong the blame was going to fall solely on him. He didn't want to hurt the jock.

"Yeah, risks are noted. Are we doing this or what?" Kevin huffed impatiently.

"Yes, yes. Get comfortable, close your eyes, and I'm going to count backwards from five."

Kevin did as he was instructed. Edd typed a few more things then loaded up the launch screen. He glanced over at the redhead beside him. Kevin looked completely calm, eyes closed, hands resting against his legs. Edd took one last deep breath, counted down, and launched the program.

* * *

 **I am currently half way through writing the second chapter to this. Been working on it all day. I was originally going to just make it one really long chapter, but the more I wrote the more it seemed like I should break them up into at least two. If I don't upload chapter two tonight, it will definitely be up tomorrow.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	2. Chapter 2

Kevin opened his eyes. Everything was dark around him. He looked down and was able to see his body, but his clothes were different and so was his skin. Everything looked sort of like plastic, but shiny, like it had a faint light glowing behind it. Well that's weird. His jeans had been replaced with tan leggings and his top seemed to be a dark red tunic. He had matching red boots that went to just above his ankles. There was a belt and scabbard around his waist. Reaching out, he grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out.

It was surprisingly heavy in his hand. He ran his finger along the blade marveling in how it felt cold and metallic despite its plastic appearance. Turning it slightly in his hand he pressed his thumb to the sharp edge. He winced as the blade broke the skin, a small trickle of slightly square looking blood dripped out and fell into the blackness around him. The wound quickly disappeared.

"Kevin, can you hear me?" Edd's voice floated around him seemingly from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He sounded slightly distorted, like a phone with a bad connection.

"Dork? Where are you? And why is everything black?" Kevin looked around him. Out of everything this game had so far, being surrounded by absolutely nothing was probably the most disconcerting. He wasn't even standing on anything. In fact, when he picked up his foot and put in back down, he couldn't even feel anything beneath him. It was as if he was floating, and not floating. Kevin was not a fan of that.

"My apologies, the landscape program is taking a minute to boot. You should have scenery in just a bit." Edd sounded clearer now, more like he was standing right next to Kevin. Kevin's head was on a constant swivel, just waiting for something to show up. Preferably the ground.

"...Right," he responded as he closed his eyes to help keep his mind off the fact that he was completely alone in a nothingness.

"Is that better?" Edd's voice echoed out around him again.

Kevin opened his eyes to see he was standing in a wide field. It seemed to stretch on as far as he could see in all directions. Turning quickly on the spot, he surveyed the whole area. Lots and lots of grass. All grass actually. Kevin sighed in relief as he felt the ground squish slightly under his boots. "Yeah, much better…There's not a whole lot out here. It's all grass as far as I can tell."

"Yes...I only loaded up the grass at the moment to make sure that everything rendered properly. There shouldn't be too much to the environment until I start adding more programs." Edd replied. He was taking notes on everything that Kevin was describing. He was ecstatic that the program was fully functional and that Kevin wasn't a drooling mess of braindead. Mostly the second one.

"Cool. What else can you load in here?"

"Well… at the moment I have a couple programs that will load varying weather, there are some for trees and flowers, animals, insects and other non-interactable features, one for long distance landscapes like mountains that you can never reach, and one enemy for the combat system."

"Can you load the enemy? I can fight with the sword right?" Kevin was excited to try the combat system. That sounded really interesting. Way better than infinite grass.

"I'd be happy to, Kevin. Yes, you can fight with the sword. You should go through the combat tutorial first, though. The system is not 100% lifelike that you can just hit an enemy with the blade and it will take damage. It's slightly more complicated than that."

"Well then load up the tutorial. Duh." Kevin rolled his eyes at the unnecessary speech. This was probably the single coolest thing that he had happened to him in his entire life and the dork was ruining it with long winded explanations.

"Very well."

Kevin bounced excitedly on the balls on his feet as he waited. Suddenly the world flickered slightly before his eyes. He blinked a few times, and everything went back to normal. Well, sort of normal. He noticed that now towards the bottom right on his vision there was a green bar. He blinked again, but it didn't disappear. Must be the health bar. There was a static noise and then a female computer voice echoed out of nowhere.

"Welcome to the combat training tutorial. Please equip a weapon."

Kevin removed the sword from his belt again.

"All melee combat requires attack skills to be activated before engaging an enemy. To activate an attack skill equip your weapon and take a fighting stance, as shown."

A few white outlines of people floated across Kevin's vision, all in different poses that seemed ready to attack. Kevin mimicked one as best he could. The edges of the sword started to glow a faint gold color.

"Attack skills can be upgraded and changed as you increase in level. As in real life, all enemies have vital points that will take more damage than their non-vital points. Higher level enemies and bosses may have their vital points hidden, but for now, I'll outline them for you in red." A combat dummy appeared in front of him. It looked kind of like a scarecrow, just without the farmer's outfit. The head was surrounded by a glowing red outline.

Kevin smiled slightly, "Wow Dork, you really thought of everything. Anyone who hasn't played a game before would find this pretty easy to follow. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Kevin. Try attacking. I'm taking notes on how everything is running."

Kevin swung his sword sideways at the head of the dummy. A red health bar above the dummy's head slid down to nothing. The dummy flickered and then disappeared.

"Congratulations. You have completed the combat training tutorial."

"Wait, that's it?!" He spun on his heel and looked around. Just all that grass again. "What gives Double Dork?"

"That's just the tutorial, of course it's easy." Edd sighed, he made a note about increasing the number of practice dummies to work on before the tutorial ended. "If you want another enemy, I'll spawn one for you. It will be more difficult than the dummy though."

"Hell yeah!"

Edd brought up the program for the enemy and loaded it onto the field about 20 feet from where Kevin stood waiting. It was nothing fancy, just a goblin looking thing, but the short stature, three hairs, and slightly bowed legs made Kevin pause.

"Is that supposed to be Dorky?"

"Why Kevin, I would never model something as greedy and short statured as a goblin after one of my friends. That would be highly offensive." Edd's sassy voice rang out in the area, as he stifled a giggle.

The goblin raised a club and moved toward Kevin. As Kevin took his attack stance a red outline appeared around the goblin's chest. He swung the sword at the goblin, striking it in the arm. A small gash appeared along the arm before it flickered away, the red health bar dropped down a bit. The goblin retaliated with a blow to Kevin's leg. Kevin gasped out in pain, but it dissipate as quickly as it came. He backed up and bent his knee a few times to check for an injury. Everything seemed okay, his health bar indicated that he had only taken a few points of damage.

The fight continued for a few more minutes before Kevin was able to land a final blow to the goblin's vital point and it flickered and disappeared. Kevin slumped on the grass and relaxed. The fight had been more stressful than he thought it was going to be. It was one thing to play a game and get hit when it didn't hurt, knowing that every time the goblin was able to land a blow on him was going to be like really getting hit with a club made the whole thing way more intimidating.

"Did you enjoy your fight?" Edd's voice echoed around the field again.

"It was kinda stressful actually. Does the game make me feel pain as if it was real life? So, if an enemy stabs me through the chest will it really feel like I got stabbed?"

"Sort of." Edd replied, "The game is designed to register the pain as your mind can process it. For example: getting hit with the club registered with your brain because you have probably been hit with a club before, while playing baseball or something. So, unless you have been stabbed before, your brain can't comprehend that kind of pain. It will still hurt, but it won't be as intense. Also, the pain fades immediately after impact. It's just so that you know you have been hit."

"That's kinda cool. Just so you know, I think you should add blocking or dodging or something to your tutorial. I just kind of backed up and that worked alright, but I bet there is a better way to do it."

"Noted. Thank you."

Kevin sighed and got to his feet. "So now what? Is there anything else to do in this field?"

"Would you be interested in testing the weather programs? The other option is I load one of the fruit trees and you can see if taste transfers over."

The redhead hummed in thought, "Taste sounds interesting."

"Apples or oranges?"

"Ummm… apples?"

Edd loaded the program for an apple tree. This was a probably the most difficult aspect of creating the world. Every person's sense of taste was different. It was the same with smell, but that one you can mess with a little because not everything smells the exactly same every time you smell it, but an apple should always taste like an apple. What Edd thinks an apple tastes like could be completely different from what Kevin thought an apple tasted like.

The tree spawned and Kevin walked over to it. Every branch was filled with red apples. He grabbed one and gently tossed it between his hands. "No chance this is going to hurt me, right?"

Edd's laugh filled the air, "Really, Kevin. You're worried about an apple, but not a goblin with a club?"

Kevin rolled his eyes and took a bite. It certainly tasted like an apple. He took another bite and sat down against the tree. "Well Double D, if I was a college I would accept you. This is one seriously apple flavored apple."

Edd laughed again. So far everything was going really well. "Let's just check the weather programs and then we'll log you out."

Kevin watched as the sky darkened overhead and a gentle rain started to fall. He jumped to his feet and headed out into the drizzle around him. The water felt slightly warm against his skin, like the summer rains that happened in Peach Creek from time to time. The sky gradually became darker and a wind blew across the field. The rain fell harder and grew cold. Lightning sparked across the clouds followed by a loud roll of thunder. Kevin ducked under the tree again and watched as the storm faded away and the sun came back out leaving a rainbow across the sky. Then it started to snow. Seeing a rainbow in the sky while the snow was falling was a little bizarre, but the field quickly covered with a small layer and the sun shining caused a mass of sparkling prisms to glint here and there on the ground. Pretty awesome.

"I'm ready to log you out now."

"Sounds good, Dork."

The world around Kevin faded back to the black abyss, so he closed his eyes and waited for the real world to come back to him. Edd's reality was incredible, but this not quite standing or floating area in between was unnerving.

Edd held his breath as the system powered down and he waited for Kevin to wake up. The redhead was still sitting completely peaceful in the chair beside the desk. It had been about an hour and the sun was angled just right to shine through the open door. Waning light spread across Kevin's face making the red of his hair shine even brighter. Edd blushed slightly when he realized he was staring.

The system powered off completely. Kevin's face twitched slightly and he opened his eyes. He turned to face Edd and and smirked. "See, I told you everything would be fine."

Edd grinned back, "Yes, I suppose you were right. Just check to make sure all of your senses returned."

Kevin moved all his limbs and poked at objects around the room. He finished by grabbing a drink from Edd's mini fridge and downing it.

"'S'all good. I need to get going, but this was awesome. Let me know when I can test it out again. It was fun." Kevin smiled at the genius and then jogged back across the street, leaving Edd blushing again and thinking of everything he wanted to add to the system so the redhead would come back.

* * *

 **So I wrote this chapter and was super happy with it, then I realized that it doesn't actually advance the plot that much. I was just having so much fun writing about the world that Edd had created I didn't think about the fact that this story is supposed to be going somewhere. Please forgive me for this super descriptive and plotless chapter. I'll do better next time!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back everyone! I know this took way longer than the other update, but I had a rush job come into work and I was working some serious overtime. Unfortunately that will be the norm for me for a while, but to make up for the wait this chapter is a whole 2000 words longer than the last one. Isn't that just awesome?!**

 **I would like to give a quick shout out to AngelZ of DarKness for the reviews. I love your stories, I hope you enjoy mine. I will try to keep it interesting. I will also try to actually finish it.**

 **So without further ado...Chapter 3!**

* * *

Edd spent a week programming his game and adding the features that Kevin had requested. The redhead made frequent stops by the garage to talk about the updates and make suggestions. While Edd was hyper focused on making the game detailed, Kevin wanted it to be fun. Afterall, 'what's the point of a beautiful game if it's boring as hell?' Truthfully speaking, Kevin was extremely eager to get back into the game. It was exciting and new. Something that no one else in the whole world had ever done before, and he got to test it. So after waiting the entire week for Edd to finish his adjustments, he happily flopped into the chair and donned the headgear.

"So what new and exciting things can I expect this time Game Master?" Kevin was practically vibrating with excitement.

Edd blushed at the new nickname, "Well, I added your recommendations for defensive abilities to the combat system. I also created a small story for the player to follow. So, as you so eloquently put it, the game won't be 'boring as heck'."

"I'm pretty sure I said boring as hell."

"I am well aware of what you said. Just because you use such offensive language does not mean that I will."

Kevin rolled his eyes, "Anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Edd smiled and reached into the cabinet beside him, "I made another immersion helmet for multiplayer mode."

"Choice! Who else is going into the game? Not Eddy, right?" Kevin cringed at the idea of having to spend any more time than necessary with the shortest Ed. Sure, everyone got along, but that doesn't mean he has to volunteer to spend time with Skipper.

"I was going to go myself actually," Edd averted his eyes. Working with Kevin on his graduate project had let him see a whole different side to the jock. The Kevin that Edd was familiar with was only interested in sports and motor vehicles. Not unintelligent, but definitely more likely to think with his muscles and actions rather than his brain. The Kevin that sat in Edd's garage and talked about his project and laughed with him seemed so much more approachable and capable of holding a conversation. The idea of delving into a virtual world with Kevin was too tempting to pass up. How close could they become when they were interacting with literally just their minds? It had to be even better, right?

Right?

"Umm...don't you need to run the program? Like, I mean, how are we going to get in and out of the game if you aren't running it."

"I've added a timer for starting the program, and there is now a menu in the game for logging out, so we can do it all from here." Edd was already adjusting the helmet on his head. He had to remove his hat for it, but he figured it would be worth it. He'd been without his hat before, it was a comfort thing at this point. He leaned over the computer and hooked up the wires for both helmets.

Kevin blushed a little as he stared at the dork without his hat. He was always super cute without his hat. Somehow he looked so young without it. Just a little kid with a giant vocabulary and an IQ that rivaled Einstein. Adorable.

"Ready?" Edd sat smiling, his finger hovering over the keyboard ready to execute the program.

Kevin's blush darkened at the sight of the beaming genius, "Yeah, I'm ready." He closed his eyes and leaned back, grateful for a way to stop his staring.

When he reopened his eyes, he was once again in that giant field of grass. The apple tree was still there, fruit dangling low on the branches. A few apples were now lying on the ground and seemed to have started rotting. Kevin bent to pick one up. The skin was wrinkled and speckled with brown dots. It flickered slightly in his hand, then disappeared. Weird.

"I wanted to add a program for the food actually decaying, but it was far too complicated."

Kevin whirled around at the sudden voice. Edd was standing behind him, dressed in a similar tunic only his was a dark purple, almost black, with gray leggings. He didn't have a belt and sword. Instead, a quiver of arrows was slung across one shoulder, and he carried a bow. Just like Kevin had noticed with his limbs and clothing, everything about Edd looked like glowing plastic, but his eyes held the same life they did in the real world.

"In order to make the food decay as it would in real life, I would need to factor in the effects of the weather program on the fruit, as well as the age of the fruit, interactions with players, non-players, etc. There were so many variables that I felt it would be a waste of my time. I decided instead to have a flat rate of time from when the fruit fell from the branch to the ground to slightly decay and then disappear. It was an elegant fix if I do say so myself."

Kevin nodded in understanding. He really does think of everything. "So, what's on the agenda today? We've obviously had a successful test of multiplayer mode, seeing as both of us are here."

"We are going to go through the story. It consists of a short maze that includes a few battles and a riddle to solve, then we will fight the maze boss and win the prize. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours."

"Then let's get going. This is going to be awesome!" Kevin grabbed Edd's hand and started to drag him towards the maze that had appeared near the tree.

The two spent the next hour navigating the maze and fighting the Eddy goblins that appeared. Kevin was surprised at how well Edd was doing at shooting with the bow and arrows. The nerd had yet to miss any of his targets. He was a little frustrated that Edd wouldn't help with deciding where to go in the maze. Something about it being unfair. "I designed it, so I know where we are, it wouldn't be very enjoyable for you if I guided you through it." So, he trudged through the maze feeling completely lost and annoyed that the dork wouldn't just tell him where they were going.

"Dude, we've been in here for forever, just tell me where we are supposed to go." Kevin complained as he dragged his feet across the grass.

"How is that fun for you?" Edd stopped walking, turning to face the redhead.

"How is this fun for me?"

Edd couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. For someone so into the challenges of video games, Kevin was trying really hard to take the easy way out. "Very well. I will show you the way to the riddle chamber, but you have to solve the riddle. Deal?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever, just get me out of here."

Edd grabbed the jock's hand and led him to the fork at the end of the path. He took a left and the path opened to a wide area with a stone tablet sitting in the center.

"You have got to be kidding me! We were right here the whole time?!" Kevin pulled his hand from Edd's grasp and turned the genius around to face him.

"Of course not the whole time, Kevin. We had to walk through it a little bit, but honestly you just needed to walk through in the correct pattern." Edd's eyes twinkled mischievously as he explained, "Once entering the maze all one had to do was go to the end of the path each time and turn left, right, right, then left and you would end up in this chamber no matter what. You just never did that. I'm not sure how honestly. The law of probability states that you should have gotten it way sooner."

"Dork," Kevin sighed into his hands, then gave Edd and exasperated look. "I'm going to kill you."

"Nah, you'd miss me!"

"Sure, Double Dweeb, whatever you say. Now what's the riddle?"

"It's on the stone over there."

Kevin headed to the stone, promising to give Edd a punch to the arm when they were back in the real world. It wouldn't hurt here, but it will hurt there. Just enough to make a point. The tablet was made out of a swirling marble. Streaks of dark gray and off white spiraled together like smoke through the air. On the flat surface there was writing etched in and filled with opaque black glass.

'What falls, but never breaks? What breaks, but never falls?'

"What." Kevin deadpanned.

Edd started to grin again, "Once you have the answer, you just say it out loud and the tablet will break open and give us access to the boss chamber. I'll wait over here." Edd sauntered over to the edge of the maze wall and plopped down against it. He dropped his bow and pulled a book out of seemingly nowhere and started reading.

Kevin stared in disbelief for a second, "Are you really such a nerd that you created a book so that you could read while you were in here?" The redhead was looking beyond frustrated at this point.

Edd looked up at Kevin with as much seriousness as he could muster on his face. Staring directly into the green eyes of the annoyed swordsman, "It's an E-book."

…

"You fucker."

Edd burst out laughing, holding his sides and leaning heavily against the wall behind him. Kevin rolled his eyes and chuckled at the dork's antics. This kid is ridiculous. Edd continued to giggle for a while, his gap-toothed smile bright on his face as he resumed reading.

Kevin continued to ponder the riddle. Lots of things could fall and not break. Too many things to actually list in his mind, but at least he knew that whatever the answer was it wasn't made of glass. Or a phone. As for the second part, something that breaks, but doesn't fall? It would have to be something pretty fragile for it to just break without doing anything physical to it. It must be a particular kind of breaking. What else breaks?

A heart breaks…

Kevin was very familiar with that. He'd had his fair share of heartbreaks and broke a few himself. Being the star pitcher of the baseball team in high school got him quite a few admirers. He'd usually have a different girl every quarter, whether it was from him dumping them or vice versa. His longest relationship had lasted almost an entire year, right up until the end of his freshman year of college. The strain of baseball season had put an end to the couple. She couldn't handle not being able to see him as frequently as she wanted and he was up to his eyeballs in stress from his first year on the college team. Not a pretty end.

It was during a very depressing summer break that Kevin found comfort in a friend of his from a baseball training camp. The boy had been sweet and caring, giving Kevin time and space to get over the girl he thought would be his forever, while also being close when he was needed. One slightly drunken night, the two had made out in the back of the cabin while the rest of the campers were roasting smores. Two very confusing days later, Kevin figured he was bisexual and spent the rest of the summer with his friend. Exploring his new sexuality with someone who had played and won at that game, he went back to college with more sense of self. Didn't stop the heartbreak, but he understood himself better each time.

But a heart can also fall...damn it that can't be it then.

He'd been pacing back and forth in front of the tablet while contemplating the riddle. He might not be able to feel physically tired in the game, but his brain hurt. He sank to the ground and leaned back to watch the clouds float lazily through the sky. Edd had messed with the weather a bit, so that there was usually some sort of a breeze at all times. It made the place feel more natural. If the whole thing wasn't fake, he felt like he could stay here forever. The sun crawled its way across the sky as he lay there thinking. Just as the sun fell below the horizon and stars started to dot the wide dark space, he popped up and grinned at Edd.

"It's night and day! Night falls and day breaks."

Edd looked up from his book and smiled, "Very good Kevin."

At the redheads words, the tablet split in two and fell to the side to reveal a winding staircase heading down. Edd put his book away somewhere and grabbed his bow. The two headed down the stairs to the bosses lair. The place was mostly stone. Columns and statues of strange creatures lined the hallway as they walked in the only direction that they could. Most of the walls were stone bricks, crumbling in some places and discolored from apparent age. Other parts of the walls were covered in tattered banners that depicted epic battles or monsters. The end of the hall was sealed off by a large oak door with rusted handles.

"So the boss is on the other side of the door. Classic." Kevin jogged over and grabbed the handles. The doors opened with a soft creak. Then a loud bang sounded behind them. Kevin jumped a foot as he spun around and looked at the boss that had dropped from the ceiling in the hallway they had come down. It was a hydra, one head had red spines that covered most of its forehead, another with dark blue eyelids and spines, and the last with buck teeth and yellow-gold spines. The creature roared at the two men as they stood in the doorway that led to the next room.

Edd and Kevin turned and dashed through the door, pulling it closed behind them before heading to the far side of the circular room.

"The Kankers?! Is everyone in the game based off of someone in the neighborhood?"

"I thought it appropriate to pull from real life situations to create the creatures. It adds something personal to the game."

"Uh-huh."

The door smashed open, exposing the three heads of the Kanker hydra. Edd notched and launched an arrow at the Marie head, hitting it in the eye. All three heads roared in pain as the red health bar floating above the blue head dropped down a quarter of the way.

"Hmm... I'll need to lower the difficulty of this boss when we get back. This is going to be more challenging than I originally anticipated." Edd notched another arrow as the hydra entered the room.

"What happens if we die in here?" Kevin pulled out his sword and readied himself to attack. The red outlines of the vital points started to shine on the heads as he did. The blue head was weak at the eyes, yellow in the mouth, and red on the neck. Great, all the vital points are way outside of my attack range.

"Well, you'll just be sent back to the real world. I haven't created a respawn program yet, so there's no way to continue the fight if you die." Edd launched the second arrow. It struck the blue head again, missing the eye and striking the cheek instead. The health bar creeped down again.

"At least there's that. Now what do you suggest I do? I can't just throw my sword at that thing."

"You can jump attack. It's exactly what it sounds like, so unless you want to lose I suggest you get going." Edd was starting to panic a bit at the approaching boss. It was huge and extremely dangerous. Virtual or not, it would not be comfortable to be hit by that thing.

Kevin dashed to the right, distracting the May head. The head swooped down chasing after the redhead as he ran. Kevin turned sharply as the head moved in close. He turned at the last second and swiped his blade across the teeth and lips of the head. The health bar atop the yellow head dropped down just as it had when Edd landed his shot. Rearing back in anger at the attack against it, the yellow head snarled dangerously before swooping down at Kevin again. Instinctively Kevin crossed his arms to protect his face as the creature ran straight into him. The force of the blow knocked him back into the wall. The green bar in his vision dropped down halfway and turned yellow. He rolled to the side as the yellow head came at him again. He leapt to his feet and took off as the head crashed into the wall where he had been lying.

Back across the room, Edd was firing arrows at the other two heads as he skillfully rolled and dodged the ramming attacks. He'd managed to drop both health bars to half, but was quickly running out of arrows. Note to self, make a replenishing program for arrows. He sidestepped another attack from the Lee head. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver and stabbed it into its neck as it paused stunned from hitting the wall. He snapped off the head of the arrow and jammed the broken shaft into the neck. Pained cries filled his ears as the head quickly retreated. Edd spared a glance at Kevin to see him taking another swipe at the yellow head's mouth. The battle between the two was taking place at ground level, so Kevin didn't need to use his jump attack, but the fight was way too close for Edd's liking. Kevin only had a quarter of a health bar left.

Taking advantage of his distracted state the Marie head rammed straight into Edd, smashing him against the wall. He cried out as he was hit from both sides, dropping his bow as he brought his hands up reflexively to clasp at the back of his head.

"Edd!" Kevin slashed at the yellow head again, catching it across the teeth. The red bar disappeared as the head swayed dramatically before falling to the floor and not moving. Kevin jumped over the motionless head and ran along the neck to reach Edd. The blue head had retreated to wind up for another strike against the archer. Edd slumped against the wall when the head released him. He shook his head slightly and scrambled to his feet. Both heads swarmed forward to catch the two boys as they were preoccupied. Edd quickly rolled away, snatching up his bow as moved. "Jump, Kevin!" The Lee head missed Edd by inches, he turned, notched an arrow and fired at its neck. The same dramatic swaying started as the health bar vanished and the red head slumped to the floor.

Kevin had jumped when he heard the dork yell. He sailed above the blue head as it crashed into the wall. He gripped his sword with both hands and brought it down, stabbing straight into the eye of disoriented beast. The final health bar flickered away, followed by a flickering of the rest of the hydra. A high toned fanfare sounded around the room as the creature disappeared and was replaced by a chest that thumped loudly to the ground in the center of the room.

"You OK, Dork?" Kevin huffed as he leaned against his sword catching his breath.

Edd walked over to him. "No permanent damage," he chuckled.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

The two headed over to the chest. Kevin knelt down in front of it to lift the lid. The inside glittered with gold coins and gems of various colors. Taking one of the coins out, Kevin flipped it in his hand a few times before flicking it at Edd's chest. "Cool story Double D. I can't think of a college in the world that wouldn't want you after that," Kevin grinned.

"Thank you Kevin. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

The dungeon around them flickered away and they were standing back in the field with the apple tree. The sun was just starting to come over the horizon, painting the sky in pinks and yellows. They stood in silence for a short time, enjoying the beauty of a virtual sunrise.

"Well, shall we get back to the real world? I have a few things I would like to tweak in the program." Edd smiled cheerfully at the jock.

"Sure thing."

"To bring up the menu you just need to swipe your hand to the right in front of you. The logout option is in there."

Both boys opened their menus and selected the logout option. The world around Edd faded to black and he found himself standing in an abyss. I guess this is the area that Kevin as freaking out about. He felt the same weird feeling of not standing and not floating that Kevin had described to him before. Taking the redhead's advice, he closed his eyes and just waited.

The feel of the real world came back to him suddenly. He could hear the familiar noises of the cul-de-sac and smell the slightly musty, mechanical scent of his garage. He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling for a second before reaching up for the helmet. A voice interrupted his movements.

"Umm...Dork…"

He recognized that voice, but it wasn't Kevin's. It sounded like something Kevin would say, but the tone was all wrong. Kevin's voice was much lower and had a rougher edge to it. This voice was softer, almost clean sounding and had a higher pitch.

Edd sat up and looked in the direction of the voice, only to find himself facing a mirror. His reflection looked back at him in confusion and a hint of fear. That was weird, he didn't feel afraid. Confused sure, but not afraid. Then his reflection moved when he didn't and spoke, "Edd, we've got a problem."

Edd stared at himself for a second before glancing down at his body. He was wearing Kevin's clothes. Jeans with holes and a red t-shirt. Tanned, muscular arms rotated around at his command and he looked at his hands. They were not his hands. His legs were not his legs. This was not his body.

Kevin's rough baritone filled the garage, "Shit."

* * *

 **Hahaha! I laughed hysterically at the idea of Edd swearing being the last word of the chapter. It's so terrible to laugh at your own joke, but I think I'm funny so that's all the matters.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed his much longer chapter. I had fun writing the battle sequence and spent quite a bit of time researching on the internet for a good riddle for the maze. I decided on the one I did because it seemed like it was creative enough for Edd to pick, but also simple enough that someone without a genius IQ could solve it. Did you get it before Kevin did? You're so smart!**

 **So, now that we have the actual plot of the story establishing, things are going to start to get interesting for the two. What will happen now? Not even I know because this is literally all I have written right now. I'll try to get the next update out in the next few weeks, but my work schedule might hinder that a bit. Wish me luck!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright! I'm on a roll! Two updates in less than a week.**

 **AngelZ Of DarKness: I actually based the way that they talk to each other off of the way my best friend and I talk. When I get stuck on the dialog I always ask him for advice on what he would say in that situation.**

 **Speaking of my best friend, shout out to Leppity for coming up with half of the plot for this chapter. Love you dude!**

 **Here's chapter 4!**

* * *

Edd had removed the helmet and was currently furiously pacing back and forth across the garage, wringing his hands together and mumbling. This shouldn't have happened. There was no way for this to happen. It's not like at any point our consciousnesses were ever separate from our virtual bodies, it's not possible for them to float around and get switched like this. It's not possible. It's not possible!

Everything felt so wrong. Edd kept bumping into things because his body was suddenly slightly wider. He was also a few inches shorter, he felt the need to walk on his tiptoes to be at the right height, but that was starting to prove uncomfortable. His hands felt rough against his own skin and he could tell Kevin hadn't showered this morning. There was definitely more than a day's worth of dirt on him.

"Edd, stop pacing, you're freaking me out." Kevin was still sitting in the desk chair. He'd removed the helmet and had put his red hat on. Edd's hair was longer than his, and it was seriously bugging him that the long, silky strands kept falling into this eyes and tickling his ears and neck. Watching his body pace around was unnerving, especially with all of Edd's mannerisms. The dork's personality was radiating out of the red headed jock and he hated it.

"My pacing is freaking you out? Kevin, we are in each other's bodies! I have no idea how this happened and no idea how to fix it. I think pacing is the least of our worries right now." Edd slumped back into the chair and scared himself when it swayed under the weight. Kevin probably was a good 30 or 40 pounds heavier than he was. Chairs don't normally react this way to him.

Kevin sighed and ran his hands down his face. How did Edd not have any facial hair? What was he, 12? "Can't we just go back in and see if it fixes it? It switched us once, it should switch us again."

"I suppose that is a viable option. In theory the system should be running the same and if something is miscoded somewhere then it should follow that same program and switch us back." Edd stood up again and moved to the computer. He brought up the timer for the launch then moved back to the chair. He put the helmet back on and Kevin followed suit, "You'll need to hit the enter key to run the program." Kevin did as he was told and the two waited for the game to take them back and hopefully fix this horrible mess.

The two found themselves back in the field. Edd looked over at Kevin and saw that he was his regular swordsman, looking down he saw his bow and purple tunic. Edd smiled at being back in his own body, even if it was just a virtual one.

"See Dork? What I tell ya? All better," Kevin was grinning ear to ear. This system wasn't so difficult to figure out, even he could solve this glitch.

"So it would seem. We should logout and confirm that the problem has indeed gone away." Edd motioned with his hand and brought the menu up. Kevin did the same and the two logged out. The black abyss formed around them as they waited for the real world and hopefully their own bodies to come back to them. Edd became aware of the garage once again and quickly opened his eyes, hoping to see Kevin sitting where he was supposed to be. The two locked eyes and Kevin let out a cry of frustration.

"Well, that didn't work," Edd sighed and stood once again, motioning for Kevin to move out of the chair and let him sit at the computer. He started to run the system diagnostics to see if there were any programs acting out of order that could have cause this.

"You better fix this Double Dweeb! I do not want to spend the rest of my life as some scrawny nerd." Kevin took up Edd's pacing from earlier, tantruming his way in circles around the garage.

Edd was staring at the screen reading the results, everything was running normally, there didn't seem to be a reason for this. "Excuse you, Kevin. I am not just a scrawny nerd. I have my own life that I would like to live and I certainly can't do that in this body."

Kevin turned to face him and gave "himself" a once over. He was tall, muscular, and quite frankly, very handsome. Striking green eyes and bright red hair made him stand out from the rest of the athletes. "What the hell are you talking about Dork? I've got everything a guy could want, you got the better deal in this."

"This might come as a shock to you, but I have absolutely no desire to live your life or have this appearance. Now please be quiet, I am trying to fix us."

"What the fuck dude?!"

"I would also appreciate it if you did not use such foul language in my voice, it is very disconcerting."

Kevin was seething. Edd was the one who got them into this mess. His stupid program was broken and now he was trapped as a skinny nerd. How was he supposed to go back to college like this? He couldn't just show up at school and claim to be Kevin Barr, star pitcher on the baseball team. He'd have to go to Edd's nerd school, and take all the nerd classes with all the other computer science nerds. Edd was supposed to be a genius, how could he have let this happen? Furthermore, how dare the dork scold him for swearing in this situation! If any situation deserved swearing, it was this one.

"I am going to beat the shit out of you Dork." Edd looked up in shock at Kevin's statement. Blue eyes stared at him filled with an incomprehensible rage. Conditioned from early years of poundings he had taken from Kevin, Edd leapt from his seat and booked it out of the garage, Kevin right behind him.

"Come back here Dork!" Kevin shouted as Edd darted down the street heading for the old playground. If anyone had been around to witness the situation they probably would have wondered what was wrong with the redhead that he was suddenly so afraid of his tiny neighbor. Edd just wanted to survive the beating that he knew was coming his way if he let Kevin catch him. He ran to the edge of the playground and into the surrounding forest. Kevin was still chasing him, but he seemed to be slowing down as he reached the treeline. Edd darted behind a tree and hid, just waiting for Kevin to run past so he could head back home and hide.

When Kevin finally made it to where Edd was hiding he was completely out of breath. Instead of running past like Edd thought he would, Kevin slumped to the ground panting. The two made eye contact for a brief second before Kevin spoke. "What...the hell... is wrong with you...dork?" He was breathing heavily as he laid there, "That was...barely a block...and I can't...fucking...breathe!"

Edd continued to stay crouched near the tree. He had completely forgotten that he was in Kevin's body during his panic. He stood and curiously checked his pulse with his fingers. It was a little fast, probably from the adrenaline of his fight-or-flight response to Kevin's threat, but it was already slowing down to a more normal pace. He wasn't breathing heavily at all despite the running. In fact, he felt pretty good, like this was something his body, Kevin's body, needed. Looking around him, he grabbed a fallen branch and held it in both hands. Edd brought it down over his knee and snapped it in two.

"What...are you doing?" Kevin panted.

Edd just laughed and broke the branch again. "Kevin, this is amazing! Do you feel like this all the time? I feel like I could run forever!"

Kevin stared at him in sheer disbelief. Here he was, practically dying on the forest floor and the dork was breaking tree branches for fun. He pushed himself into a sitting position and continued to stare as Edd rushed around the forest. He watched him pick up a small boulder and throw it. He ran around in circles before jumping and grabbing a low hanging branch and pulled himself up by only his arms. Edd disappeared up the tree, climbing as high as he could before the tree limbs couldn't support his weight. When he finally came back down, he ran to Kevin with the biggest grin on his face. Edd reached down and pulled him to his feet. Kevin was propelled forward, running into a broad, muscled shoulder.

"Kevin, I can't believe you live like this! I never knew how wonderful it could feel to be athletic!"

Kevin just stood there as Edd rambled on and on about how strong Kevin's body was. He knew how strong he was. He worked out everyday to make it that way. He ran at least two miles every morning before his part time job. Then he went to work at the local car mechanics and lifted tires and other car parts all day. On slow days, he'd hit the gym afterwards and lift weights for a couple hours before heading home. Now he was stuck in this shrimp's body barely able to jog to the forest without feeling like dying.

He wanted to shout at the dork. He wanted to beat him senseless for running around like an idiot, being excited over something as simple as climbing a tree, but Edd was just so happy about it. Edd's usual enthusiasm over science and math was now transferred to something that Kevin could actually understand. Who wouldn't be excited over being as strong as he was? Who wouldn't be excited about being able to do all the things that he was never able to do because he was too weak or too slow? For Edd, it was like he had been crippled his whole life, and was finally able to walk.

Kevin sighed as Edd continued to chatter on and on about all the things he was able to do. It was honestly too cute for words. Kevin grabbed Edd by the bicep to stop his babbling, "C'mon Edd, let's go back to the garage and figure this out."

* * *

 **I am currently working on chapter 5. Here's hoping for another quick update.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again everyone! Are you ready for chapter 5? I am!**

 **I spent literally all night yesterday writing this. No sleep, just writing. That being said, I gave it a read through this evening to make sure that I didn't make too many mess ups in my exhausted state. If you find something that is just 100% wrong, let me know. I'll go back and fix it.**

 **A special thank you to AngelZ of DarKness for you constant reviews and a thank you to Awesome. anime .girl33 for your first review. I'm glad you guys like the story so far. I'll do my best not to let you down.**

 **I don't know how long this story will be. I have a few plot points I would like to cover and those can take one chapter or two. All things totaled I don't believe that this will go over 20 chapters, but if it does that's just more fun for you guys, right?**

 **Anyway, I have a tendency to ramble. Here's the story! I know that's why you're here. :)**

* * *

Edd spent the rest of the day trying as many solutions as he could think of for fixing them. As far as he could tell there was absolutely nothing wrong with the system and every launch of the program ran flawlessly. They loaded themselves into the game countless times, always switching to their original roles in the game before coming back as the other. They even tried redoing the entire campaign again to see if there was some sort of issue with the maze and boss fight that caused this. Nothing worked. They were stuck.

Finally, Edd just shut down the system and leaned back in his chair frustrated. He was not going to be able fix this today. He was going to have to try again tomorrow. That posed all sorts of new problems. "Kevin, I suggest that you message your parents with some excuse for your whereabouts this evening. It seems we are going to be stuck like this for a while longer."

Kevin sighed, "Yeah, alright." He quickly messaged his folks that he was going to a party with friends and would crash there since they'd be drinking. "Now what?"

"Well, first let's go inside and I'll make dinner. Then we will have to talk through what we will be doing tomorrow. I believe you have work and I will have to go in your place." Edd stood and lead the way into the house. He was careful to not run into the door frame with his broad shoulders. "Shoes off please."

Kevin had been in Edd's house before, not much had changed since his last visit. The house was still overly clean and didn't seem like anyone lived there. White walls with only a few family photos on them. Shelves of books neatly organized by title. The furniture looked brand new. It was all so hospital like.

Edd went into the kitchen and started searching around the fridge for something to make. "How about chicken alfredo?" He asked without looking up. He was still sorting through the contents for another option if that one was rejected.

"Sure."

Edd pulled out everything he would need and started cooking. While the noodles were boiling away he started on the sauce. "So, what do you do at your job? You should probably also tell me about the relationships you have with your coworkers. Anyone I should watch out for?"

Kevin face planted onto the kitchen table, hiding his head in his arms. This is going to suck.

"Kevin?"

Kevin didn't move from his arms as he responded, "Can't we just call me out sick? I mean, there's no reason for you to go to work-for me to go to work-for you to go to work for me!"

"No, that would be lying. You're perfectly healthy, there is no reason to inconvenience your employer by calling out unnecessarily."

"Perfectly healthy?!" Kevin flinched a little as his voice squeaked as he yelled. Edd was practically prepubescent. "I'm not even in the right body! How is this perfectly healthy?!"

Edd sighed as he skillfully flipped chicken in a pan, "I understand your concern. This is less than ideal for me as well, but we don't know how long we are going to be stuck like this. I could potentially have to go to work for you in the future. Since there is no reason to avoid it at present, we should just get it over with."

"But...if you stay home tomorrow you can work on fixing us. Every day we waste trying to pretend everything is normal the longer we go without it actually being normal."

"I understand your frustration, Kevin. Do not think I that I am unsympathetic to your situation. However, I believe that it is going to take more than a single day to figure out what has happened to us, and I also believe I will need to consult with someone on other possible solutions."

"Who do you want to tell about this?"

"A...a friend…" Edd blushed a little and turned his back to the kitchen table to mix the chicken with the sauce.

A friend? Right…

"Whatever. As long as you trust them not to make us into some kind of government experiment."

"Of course he won't!"

So it's a guy. Looks like Double D plays for the same team I do. Kevin propped his head against his hand and stared at Edd-himself-as he continued to cook. He was blushing to his ears, hands shaking a little as he stirred noodles and sauce covered chicken together in a pot. Kevin contemplated how he was going to go about letting Edd know what his coworkers teased him mercilessly about being bi. They were all friendly, most were in their mid-thirties. They had found out about his sexuality when the guy he'd had a summer fling with the week prior just so happened to come into the shop for an oil change. Long story short, it was nothing but sex jokes and teasing from there.

Edd came to the kitchen table carrying the pot of pasta in one hand and balancing plates and silverware in the other. He quickly set the table and then plopped into the chair across from Kevin. He started serving both of them, "I'll contact him tomorrow and see if he has any ideas on how to fix the situation. In the meantime, you were going to tell me about your coworkers and your job requirements, right?"

"Right... well the job is pretty easy, you just do what everyone tells you to do. I'm not in charge of anything, I'm just a grunt." Kevin laughed quietly to himself as he took a bite of pasta. His eyes widened as he chewed, "This is really good! Where did you learn to cook?"

"It's just something I picked up when I was younger." Edd didn't meet his eyes as he continued to eat his own portion.

Kevin paused at the answer. That was cold. There was an odd tension in the room. Kevin cleared his throat quietly, "S-so...my coworkers are...umm...they like to mess with me. You know, tease and joke around a lot. We all get along really well, so no need to worry about that. They'll just probably start making fun of me as one point or another. They do that a lot, but it's all in good fun."

"What about you do they make fun of?" Edd was getting himself a second helping of pasta. Kevin's body is insatiable, I feel starved.

"W-well...they...uhh...t-they like to make fun of my love life…" Kevin felt his face heat up at the thought. He knew he had to tell Edd about his sexuality. It's not like he could avoid it now. The dork was going to find out at some point. His coworkers would probably try to hook him up with some guy that wandered in for a tuneup tomorrow. Might as well let the guy hear it from him rather than get blindsided tomorrow. "I'm...bi. S-so…" Kevin's voice was barely above a whisper.

Edd's fork clattered loudly against his plate at Kevin's confession. His head snapped up and he stared at him. "I...I did not know that Kevin. You were such a ladies man in high school."

"Y-yeah. It was something I figured out after freshman year of college." Kevin turned away, finding the wall very interesting all of a sudden.

The two were silent for a while. Edd contemplated this new information. He was bisexual as well, though he had known for many years at this point. A research project for his middle school social studies class had led to the discovery of the different sexualities, and after spending a few hours in the library, and a few weeks in self reflection, he felt comfortable with the idea of being bisexual. So what if he was attracted to both? Now he could fall in love with someone's mind instead of just their anatomy.

"I am as well," Edd finally said, breaking the silence. "I've known since middle school. We had a project for social studies that discussed social stigmas. That was where I first learned of the different types of sexuality and their perceived social acceptance."

Now it was Kevin's turn to drop his fork. Edd was bisexual, he'd kind of guessed from his reaction earlier, but having it confirmed so calmly was a little shocking. Kevin had always figured that the genius was asexual if anything. As far as Kevin was aware the guy had never dated anyone. He was single all through high school and no one had ever talked about Edd dating anyone when they came home for breaks from college. The guy always seemed more in love with books and his computer than he ever did with another person.

"Oh." Kevin was actually kind of relieved to know this. Most people didn't get the whole bisexual thing. They didn't get that he was attracted to both genders. "You didn't have to tell me. I mean, it's not like you have a job with a bunch of nosey coworkers." His voice was quiet when he answered.

"I'm sure the topic would have come up at some point. Both Ed and Eddy are aware of my sexuality. If the topic were to arise while you are with them it would be inconvenient for you if you did not know."

"Wait. I have to hang out with those dorks?"

"We have a running movie night on Friday's after the other two are off work. Assuming that I don't have us in our correct bodies by that time yes, you will have to spend an evening with them."

"Great…" Kevin rolled his eyes and slumped in his seat. He did not want to spend time with Eddy. He could only tolerate the guy in small doses.

Edd sighed, "We'll deal with that if and when it comes to pass. For now, what else do I need to know for tomorrow?"

Kevin relaxed a little with the subject change. He didn't want to think too much about his love life at the moment. "Well for starters, you definitely can't talk the way you are right now. Who the hell talks like that?"

"I do." Edd rolled his eyes as he responded, "I suppose I will have to practice speaking in the manner that you do. Though I refuse to swear. It is completely unnecessary in most situations."

"Honestly dude, if you don't cuss every now and then while at work the guys are going to think something is wrong with me." Kevin scratched at the back of his neck. This was going to be harder for Edd than he originally thought.

Edd was appalled. Such language had no place in a work environment. Car garage or not. He leaned forward and rubbed at his temples, contemplating what he was going to do. "I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?"

"Not really."

"Fine. I will do my best to curse while I work. If the opportunity presents itself."

Kevin gave him a sympathetic smile. As far as the body switch went, Kevin got the raw end of the deal, but when it came to stepping out of their comfort zones while pretending to be each other, Edd had it harder. Kevin didn't have to go to work or even really leave the house. Edd had to go out and act his part at least five days a week.

The two finished dinner and cleaned up quickly. They spent the rest of the evening going over the plan for tomorrow. Edd would go to work at the garage, then go back to Kevin's house to check in with Kevin's parents. That would be the real test of his acting skills. It's one thing to trick coworkers that had only know the redhead for a month or so, but Kevin's parents had known him since birth. Edd suddenly wished he had participated in theatre while in school. After fooling Kevin's parents, he would say that he was going to go on a trip and would be gone for a few weeks. Then the two would stay together at Edd's house while they tried to fix this. Simple enough, right?

Kevin's schedule for the following day was way simpler. He was to stay at Edd's house and do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't mess with the game system or talk to anyone. Don't open the door. Don't answer the phone. Don't leave. It was risky enough to have Edd going out pretending to be Kevin. They didn't need to complicate things by having Kevin parading around as Edd unnecessarily. Kevin hated the idea of being trapped inside all day, but they really didn't have too much of a choice.

It was late when the two finalized the plan for tomorrow. Edd needed to be at work by 9:00, so they decided they had done everything that they could and the rest would just be winging it. Edd directed Kevin to follow him upstairs and got him settled in the guest room. He pulled out pajamas for him and was suddenly struck with a realization. Kevin was going to have to get undressed. Kevin was going to see him naked. Well, he was going to see his naked body. There was no avoiding it.

Furthermore, Edd was going to have to see Kevin's naked body. He'd been ignoring it as long as he possibly could, but he desperately wanted a shower and he would need to change for bed as well. Not to mention they were both going to need to use the bathroom at some point. This is completely mortifying.

Edd brought Kevin the pajamas and decided to just ignore the implications behind it. If he didn't bring it up then maybe Kevin wouldn't think about it. He blushed furiously as he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. He sighed heavily as he made his way to the bathroom to shower. No matter how much he wanted to just skip it, his OCD was not going to let it happen. He'd gotten loads better since he was younger, he didn't need to obsessively clean everything, but a daily scrub was always a must. Right now, judging by the way his skin crawled when he thought about it, Kevin hadn't showered since yesterday morning.

He kept his back to the mirror as he removed Kevin's t-shirt. That part was easy enough, he'd seen Kevin shirtless before, working on his motorcycle on hot summer days. Kevin was fairly muscular in the arms and chest, but his abs were more toned than built. There was only a faint outline around the area where a six-pack would form, slightly more defined at the top two near his ribs, and fading as the muscles disappeared under his pants. Pants. Edd undid the button and zipper then closed his eyes. He didn't have to look. An easy solution. Gripping the edge of both the pants and boxer briefs underneath he pulled them both down and stepped out.

Edd turned almost robotic like to turn on the water. He squinted at the handle, adjusting the temperature to what he wanted, before squeezing his eyes shut again. Water hot, and all ready to go he stepped in and pulled the curtain shut.

He set about doing his normal cleaning routine, working off of muscle memory for where his shampoo and body wash were located in the tub. He tried really hard to ignore how tense all of the muscles in Kevin's body got under his emotional stress. He also tried really hard to ignore the fact that he would have to clean Kevin's privates at some point. He sighed again in defeat and lathered his loofah. Oh dear...

Kevin was having a slightly different experience in the guest room. As soon as Edd had closed the door he had stripped down to his boxers and was critiquing Edd's tiny frame in the mirror. He honestly wasn't sure how the dork was even able to stand. He seemed to be nothing but skin and bones. He understood where some of that came from. Edd lived a fairly sedentary life. He worked on his computer or read. Sometimes he would go downtown and wander museums, but for the most part he was sitting all day. So little movement, required very little energy, which meant that Edd had a teeny-tiny appetite. Kevin was surprised when he had only eaten half of what was on the plate Edd had served for him. He just wasn't hungry.

That was the weirdest feeling. Kevin was always hungry.

Glancing at his new appearance in the mirror one last time, he figured he could skip the awkwardness of having to remove Edd's boxers for one night and sleep with them on. He'd deal with that tomorrow. He put on the pajamas and was just finishing getting settled in the room when he heard the shower turn off. Kevin blushed and hid his face in the pillow. Of course Edd was going to shower. Edd was the kind of guy to shower everyday. Sighing to himself and trying to put the thought out of his mind, he went out into the hallway to wait to be able to brush his teeth.

Edd came out of the bathroom a minute later, wrapped in a fluffy, white towel with his hair still dripping. He was pink from head to toe, but his face was bright red. Kevin blushed again. He wasn't expecting to run into actual proof that Edd had seen him naked. He thought the dork would have put on pajamas before coming out of the bathroom.

Edd jumped slightly when he saw him. He quickly tightened his grip on the edge of the towel to make sure it didn't fall. "K-Kevin! Hi! Yes. Umm...the bathroom is free if you need it. I-I-I…" He stuttered over his words making Kevin's normally deep voice sound high and panicked, looking away he shouted, "I D-DIDN'T LOOK!" With that he moved quickly to his room and shut the door.

Kevin stood in stunned silence for a second then burst out laughing. Edd was just too cute.

* * *

 **So how do you guys think Edd will do playing Kevin at work? Will he crash and burn or do you think he'll pull through?**

 **Who is the guy "friend" that Edd was talking about? Crush or ex? Neither?**

 **Also, I would just like to say that I have no idea if this story will contain more "adult" content. I know I spent quite a bit of time with the boys stressing over relationships and nakedness, but I felt that it was something that they both would struggle with. Edd more so than Kevin in the nudity department, and Kevin with his sexuality. It seemed like this needed time to develop so there it is.**

 **If you would like for this story to go a certain way, feel free to leave your ideas in the comments. I'd love to hear from you guys about what the boys should do next.**

 **As always,**

 **Thank for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	6. Chapter 6

**Greetings everyone! I would like to first apologize for taking longer to get this chapter out than the last ones. The holidays had me very busy, and then I was off in the land of no internet. It was great to disconnect from technology for a bit, but I was so worried about not having this chapter done the whole time.**

 **Anyway, enough chatter. Here's the chapter!**

* * *

Edd did not sleep very much that night. Partially because his bed felt weird against his skin and he couldn't get comfortable because there was just so much more of him than there usually was, and partially because he spent a good portion of the evening researching as much as he possibly could about car mechanics. Automobiles weren't that complicated when he finally got into the topic. There were some similarities to building a computer actually, just on a much larger scale. He could handle that well enough.

When he was finally satisfied with his preparations for tomorrow, he slid into bed and expected to fall asleep instantly as he normally did when he spent the night studying. If only his shoulders weren't so much broader, so that his head rested on his pillow like we was used to. If only his blanket could tuck around him the way it normally did. If only he wasn't so completely and totally aware of the fact that he had freaked out at being caught coming out of the bathroom earlier.

Why did Kevin have to be right there? Furthermore, why did he freak out about being naked in front of Kevin? It was his body. Kevin's body. Of course Kevin knows what he looks like. Lots of people probably know what he looked like. Kevin dated countless girls in high school, and it sounded like that only expanded to include the other gender once he reached college. Who knew how many people he had slept with. Edd was thinking that this fact would help calm his mind about having to eventually seeing Kevin's naked form.

If they can look, why can't I?

He immediately felt terribly guilty over that line of thought. Kevin invited those people to be included in an intimate and private part of his life. Those people were special to Kevin. He was nobody. Just a friend, sort of, that had been thrown into a screwed up situation with the redhead and was now forcing him to have to share every tiny aspect of his life with Edd. It was incredibly invasive and entirely Edd's fault.

He had known that there were risks with his system. He didn't exactly expect this to happen, but there were risks. He should have tested it more. Only he should have tested it instead of putting anyone else in danger. He had been so unbelievably stupid and reckless. Now he was racing the summer break clock to get them fixed before he had to give up his chances of getting into graduate school with his project. Before he had to give up his entire life. Before Kevin had to give up his entire life.

Groaning and rolling to his other side his thoughts continued to race. If he wanted to be the computer engineer he always dreamed of being he had to get back to his own body. He'd worked his entire life to get to where he was today. People in the computer science community knew him on sight. If this switch was permanent, heaven forbid, he was going to have to start from scratch in his networking game to get his reputation back where it was. The possibility that no one would find him credible was ominous as well. One did not steal someone else's coding style and signature. "Kevin" couldn't just show up in the computer science world with all of Edd's tricks. People would accuse him of stealing and he'd be blackballed.

Great. There was only one possible happy solution to this. There wasn't even a good plan B.

He rolled again, cocooning himself into the blankets. Maybe he should just go back to studying cars. Sleep was apparently going to evade him all night, and there was nothing wrong with preparing for his inevitable future should he not get be able to fix them.

Ever the optimist, Eddward. Great thinking.

Chastising himself again for his negative thinking, he sighed and relaxed back into the mattress. He started running through his double digit multiplication tables to keep his mind moving over something that was not their predicament. He closed his eyes as he started on multiples of 34. He felt his mind drifting ever so softly into unconsciousness. A pleasant tug at the back of his mind dragging him into dreams filled with fiery red hair and the clashing sound of a sword.

Edd's alarm jolted him awake. He reached over and slapped at the off button on the top. Underestimating the amount of force he used, he sent the poor clock tumbling to the floor, where it continued to blare loudly. Curses…

After finally silencing the clock, he rolled back onto the bed and contemplated just sleeping for the rest of his life. If he slept, he could avoid having to go to work for Kevin and could pretend that he wasn't trapped in the ginger's body. Just spend the rest of his natural life laying here. Perfect.

He shook his head as he pulled the covers off. That was a dumb idea and he knew it. He stumbled his way out of bed. He was surprised to smell breakfast cooking when he opened the door. He never thought of Kevin as an early riser, or a cook for that matter. Edd quickly washed up in the bathroom before heading downstairs.

Kevin stood at the stove, sprinkling cheese over an omelette. He'd apparently been up for a while since he was wearing what appeared to be workout clothes. He had on a tight, black tank top, gym shorts and sneakers. His hair had been pulled back into a small ponytail, a hand towel draped around his neck to catch the sweat that was still glistening on his face. He had headphones in and was bobbing his head to whatever he was listening to.

Edd had to stare. He wasn't one for working out, never had been, probably never would be. It just wasn't his thing to spend hours at the gym. He didn't feel accomplished by going. He didn't feel healthy afterwards. He just felt tired and sore. Even in high school, he had dreaded weight day at the gym. The atmosphere of the weight room was just uncomfortable. Seeing himself in workout clothes, looking so content was odd. Not unpleasant. Just very odd.

"Good morning, Kevin."

"Oh, hey. Morning Edd," Kevin pulled his headphones out and stopped his music. "I hope you like ham and cheese omelettes."

Edd smiled as he went to sit at the table, "I do, thank you. Why are you dressed in workout clothes?"

"I always go to the gym first thing in the morning. It helps wake me up. I figured it wouldn't be an issue since no one at the gym knows you, and it's not like they would make the connection between us."

Edd sighed, "No, I suppose you're right. I just...I thought we said that you shouldn't leave the house. Also, I don't normally exercise. It's peculiar to see myself that way."

Kevin laughed, "Yeah, I know you don't exercise. Do you know how hard it was to do anything while I was there? I barely got through half a mile on the treadmill. It's seriously not healthy to be this out of shape dude." He flipped one half of the omelette over the other before sliding it onto a plate. He brought the plate and a glass of orange juice over to Edd. "I know we said I wouldn't leave the house, but I can't stay inside all summer. I'll go nuts. It was early in the morning, no one you know was at the gym, it's all good."

"I seriously doubt you are going to listen to reason, so I suppose you can go to the gym in the morning." Edd took a large bite of the omelette and hummed in contentment over the food. Honestly, was Kevin's body ever not hungry?

"Uh huh, thanks for the permission dork."

"You're quite welcome Kevin."

Kevin rolled his eyes, "I was being sarcastic."

"Oh, I know." Edd smirked at the other from across the table, "However, you and I both know that if I wanted to I could keep you here."

Kevin flushed and took a small step back, "W-what are you talking about dork?" Curse Edd's high pitched voice making him sound scared. He totally wasn't scared.

"Well," Edd's smirk never faded, his eyes danced with mischief, "As I am now the stronger of the two of us, if I wanted to force you to stay inside it would not take much to make it happen."

Kevin stared for a few seconds. Edd was teasing him. It had to be payback for a childhood of torture. Probably. Well, two can play at that game. Kevin leaned forward, putting both his hands on the table and invading Edd's space, "What are you going to do dork? Tie me up?"

Edd grinned, not backing down, "Don't tempt me."

"Hey, you don't need to threaten me with a good time." Kevin leaned even closer. He might be physically weaker than Edd right now, but he was still Kevin Barr and he was not going to lose to dorky Double D.

However, Edd's eyes flashed. "Why Kevin, I always took you for the more dominant type. Who knew that you were a rope bunny."

Kevin jumped back from Edd as fast as he could. His face holding a look of embarrassment and disbelief. How the hell did Edd know a term like rope bunny? Why did Edd know a term like rope bunny? It was barely half a day ago that he found out that the kid was even a sexual being. What else did he not know about him?!

Edd laughed loudly at Kevin's reaction, the deep baritone of Kevin's voice filling the space. Edd composed himself enough to down the rest of his juice before taking his dishes to the kitchen. Making Kevin squirm was hilarious. Oh how the tables have turned.

"I'm afraid that I have to get ready for work now. We'll have to continue this conversation another time." Edd didn't look at Kevin as he walked past and went to the stairs. He turned at the last second to glance at the still stunned man staring at him, "It's rude to stare, Kevin." He giggled softly as he climbed the steps to his room.

* * *

 **For those who don't know, though I feel that the name is fairly self explanatory, a rope bunny is someone who enjoys being tied up. Feel free to check the definition on Urban Dictionary or more information. Just be careful what you Google. ;)**

 **Next chapter will be Edd pretending to be Kevin at work. Should be interesting, yeah? Let me know what you think, or where you want this story to go. I have plot points to hit, but I still need filler for between those. I'm open to suggestions!**

 **As always,**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again everyone! Here we are with the next chapter of A Virtual Switch. This is the longest chapter yet, and I hope it was worth the wait it took for me to write the whole thing. I had a bit of writer's block for a few days and ended up just staring at the previously written sentences just praying for some inspiration. Lucky it hit last night and I was able to crank this out.**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

Edd managed to keep his cool all the way up the stairs, but once he reached the safety of his bedroom he slumped against the closed door and hid his face in his hands. He just flirted with Kevin. Openly flirted with Kevin! What was wrong with him?! What made matters so much worse was Kevin seemed to be openly flirting with him right back! Sure, they were both bisexuals, so there was that small layer of awkwardness that was avoided since there was no guessing on who was straight and who wasn't, but still. They weren't in any position to be flirting with each other. It was too weird. Edd wasn't even Edd right now. Neither was Kevin. Edd couldn't think of a worse time to be shamelessly flirting.

It had just felt so good to tease his neighbor. Usually Kevin did the teasing and Edd just let it all roll off him. There was something about being in Kevin's body that was making him feel so confident that he could open up and say and do things he normally wouldn't dare do. What was it about muscles that made him feel so confident? He didn't have to fear getting punched in the face maybe? Well, Kevin could still punch him in the face. He would just also be punching himself in the face, and would have to deal with the consequences of that when they switched back.

Edd quickly put those thoughts from his mind. No one would be punching anyone. No one would be flirting with anyone.

At least, starting now.

He pushed off from the door and glanced around for Kevin's clothes. There was no way to get extras from Kevin's parents' house the night before so he was going to have to wear the outfit again. He wasn't a huge fan of the idea, but he also didn't have a choice. He'd borrowed a pair of his father's pajamas, but they didn't fit right. The legs were too long and the waistband was too tight. The shirt pinched a bit in the arms. Edd was disappointed that the clothes didn't fit better. He had been hoping to use his father's clothes for work today.

He tugged off the shirt and once again had to marvel at the outline of the muscles on Kevin's torso. Should he go to the gym with Kevin in the morning? The redhead would probably be really upset if he messed up his workout schedule. What if they were stuck like this for a long time? If Kevin's muscles started to get deteriorate from lack of use Edd was sure that Kevin would be really upset. If he had to pretend to be Kevin at work and at home, might as well pretend to be Kevin in all aspects.

Edd put the red T-shirt from the other day on. He wrinkled his nose at the less than laundry fresh smell coming from the fabric. It was a good thing he would be going to the redhead's house later get a change of clothes. This was awful. He pulled off the pajama pants and stared fixedly ahead of himself as he grabbed the boxer briefs and Kevin's jeans. Finally dressed, but flushing completely red he went to finish the rest of his morning before heading to work.

Kevin stood stock-still in the same spot that Edd had left him in a few minutes prior. What had all that been about? Had Edd been flirting with him? Did he flirt back?! Edd was always so reserved about anything even mildly suggestive. When did he get the balls to flirt with him like that? Why did I like it so much?!

He groaned into his hands and turned to clean up the kitchen. He was just going to have to ignore everything that had happened with Edd just then. There were far too many other things that were going on in his life right now to concern himself with Edd's sudden flirting. For starters, in just about an hour, Edd was going to go play "Kevin" at work for him and as far as he could tell, the dork was not going to pull it off. Edd was nothing like him. The second he opened his mouth they were going to be doomed. People would think he had some sort of weird stroke that gave him an encyclopedia brain.

Then after work Edd was going be going to his house and trying to fool his parents. If he was lucky, his dad would still be at work when Edd arrived, but sometimes the man was home early because of a meeting getting cut short or something like that. His mom would be home. She was always home in the evenings to get dinner ready and greet his dad when he got home. On weekends she had a book club that she went to with some of her friends, but she still tried to make it home in time for dinner. Even if they just ordered pizza.

He'd have to coach Edd through how to talk to him mom. She was not a woman to be messed with. She was half Scottish and half Irish. Any day that she got angry was the worst day of your life. Sometimes even the worst week if she was angry enough. Kevin was pretty sure that if she found out about what had happened to the two of them she would be on a warpath. How dare some self proclaimed genius college student put her baby in danger?

Kevin sighed again as he finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher. If this switch wasn't the death of him, his mother would be. He left the kitchen to go upstairs. He needed a shower and he had to figure out how Edd was going to get to work. As far as he knew, the dork didn't have a car. He always got rides from his friends or would take the bus. It was too late in the morning for Edd to catch a bus downtown and get to work on time. He'd need a ride.

With that in mind, Kevin jogged up the stairs to take a shower. Edd was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, doing one last check in the mirror. He was currently twisting Kevin's baseball cap back and forth watching as the long bangs that hung through the front moved around. He'd turned it to face forwards like it was "supposed" to be worn, only for the bangs to be forced straight into his eyes. He frowned, then turned it back around.

"What are you doing?" Kevin chuckled.

"Why do you have such long bangs when they fall in your face if you don't wear your hat like this?"

Kevin shrugged, "I dunno. Looks cool?" Edd gave him a skeptical look. Kevin just shrugged again, "How are you planning on getting to work by the way?"

"I was going to take your motorcycle."

Kevin quirked an eyebrow at him, "You ride?" No way was he going to trust his baby with the dork. The guy may have his body, but that doesn't mean he knows anything about motorcycles.

Edd smirked. Kevin recognized that smirk. It was the same "bad boy" look he'd give to the girls and guys he flirted with whenever he was about to impress them with some talent of his. His heart skipped a beat. Not good.

"Yes Kevin, I ride. A friend of mine in college is an avid motorcyclist, he taught me since it was the only vehicle that we had access to." He explained, smirk ever present on his face, "We needed to be able to switch who was DD when we went out."

Kevin was shocked and impressed to say the very least. What else was there that he didn't know about his dorky neighbor? "Huh. Never would've guessed." He tried to sound casual as he squeezed past Edd into the bathroom. "I'm going to shower."

Edd blushed as he nodded, guess it was time for Kevin to see him completely exposed. Though, he couldn't say for sure that he hadn't already done that. He had changed clothes twice and gone to the gym. He closed the door as he awkwardly went back to his room to wait for Kevin to finish. To his relief, sort of, it seemed that Kevin was an exceptionally fast bather and he wandered into Edd's room for clothes not ten minutes later. Soaked, black hair was dripping slowly down his shoulders and back. The usual pale skin was tinted pink, for the short duration of the shower the water must have been scalding.

The two regarded each other silently for a while. Simply taking in the strange new norm that they had to adapt to and what it meant for them both. Things could only get easier from here, right? Now all the awkward was out in the open and there was nothing to hide. They just had to be themselves.

And pretend to be the other…

"I didn't look." Kevin finally broke the silence. He wasn't meeting Edd's eyes as he spoke. They both flushed red in the quiet that followed.

"...T-thank you." Edd's voice was small and unsure. It seemed weird to thank someone for that, but it really did mean a lot to him. He didn't think Kevin could be so caring and considerate of someone else's feelings. Especially his. It was a pleasant surprise. Edd blushed again at the thought.

"Let's just get you to work. Then I can concentrate on my day of doing absolutely fucking nothing."

"Language!"

Moment ruined.

Kevin and Edd hurried across the street to the garage that held the redhead's motorcycle. Kevin needed to see that Edd could actually handle his baby before he let either of them take off out of sight. They entered the garage and Kevin pulled out his bike. The red paint glinted in the morning sun. Kevin smiled as he always did when he saw the way she glowed. His bike would always be his first real love. Nazz was his first girlfriend, but the love he felt for the motorcycle topped that of all his ex's. Maybe with one or two exceptions…

"Alright dork, hop on and let's see if you can get her started."

Edd rolled his eyes and he expertly swung a leg over the bike and turned the key in the ignition. It rumbled to life beneath him. A small smile skipped across his lips as he remembered all the days he had spent riding with his friend. He truly believed he would not be the person he was today if it wasn't for the man he had met early in his Sophomore year of college. The guy wouldn't let him stay cooped up in his dorm all day studying and researching heaven knows what. He made him explore, participate, react to life. Before him Eddward Vincent just existed, now he lived.

He gripped both handles and carefully revved the throttle as he released the clutch. As the gear caught, he added more speed and before Kevin could even be slightly impressed Edd took off down the street and out of the cul-de-sac. Kevin could hear the quiet roar of the engine in the distance. Slowly it faded to nothing, before it returned with full power and he saw Edd zoom past the entrance to the neighborhood. Edd turned around again and returned to the driveway of Kevin's house. He balanced the bike against his leg and cut the engine.

"Satisfied?" The bad boy smirk was back.

Kevin's heart leapt against his chest. Stop that! "Y-yeah, looks like you've got it, Dork. Now get going, it's a 15 minute drive and you need to be there in 20."

"Oh dear! You're correct! Quick, I need your helmet."

Kevin tossed it at him and was almost surprised when Edd caught it, but not really. The dork had surprised him too much recently.

Edd shoved the helmet on his head, before lifting the visor, "I'll see you this evening, Kevin. Please remember to try to stay out of sight."

"Yeah, yeah. Remember to not be so uptight all the time, Double Dweeb."

Edd huffed, pushed the visor down, and was gone.

When he arrived at the garage he wasn't sure where he was supposed to park. He slowed to a steady roll as he examine the parking lot in hopes of seeing something to guide him to employee parking. He was just starting to panic when a man in an oil stained jumpsuit ran out to greet him.

"Hey Kev! We have a lot of call aheads today, so you gotta park in the back. There should be a spot next to Adrian's bike."

Edd was halfway through raising his hand to move the visor to thank him, when he stopped. Kevin was a man of action, not words. He wouldn't say 'thank you' he'd do something else. So Edd flashed a grin he hoped the guy could see through the thick plastic protecting his face and gave a thumbs up before driving off.

So far so good. Now only 7 hours and 59 minutes to go.

Edd locked the bike up and turned to head inside. He paused before he rounded the corner to check his posture. Kevin slouched, just a little, and would usually walk with his hands in his pockets. Donning the appropriate pose, he continued into the shop.

He didn't run into anyone else as he went into the backroom to change into his own jumpsuit. Kevin's wasn't as dirty as the other man's, probably because it was newer, but there were grease marks near the cuffs and on the knees. Taking one more breath to center all of his courage, he left the room and went to join the group of men all gathered around to plan for the day.

"Sup Kev. How was your night?"

Edd thought quickly about how to describe his evening as Kevin would. "S'alright. You?"

Perfect.

"Boring as hell. The missus went out with that book club of hers and left me with nothing to do. There wasn't even a decent game on!" Edd glanced at the name stitched onto the right breast pocket. This was Adrian, the owner of the other motorcycle in the parking lot.

Edd gave what he hoped was a sympathetic looking 'bro nod', "Sucks man."

Dear lord this was difficult.

Adrian opened his mouth to reply when another man walked up to the group. His jumpsuit was pristine and stitched under his name, Cory, was the word 'Owner' in a loopy cursive. "Alright gents, we've got a full day today. So, listen up cause I don't have time for you bullshit." Edd tried not to flinch at the word, not sure it worked. Cory went into detail about what everyone would be doing today. Between balancing the appointments and dealing with the walk-ins they were looking at staying busy the whole day.

Edd understood most of what Cory was saying. They would be split into teams of two or three depending on the service needing to be done. Edd was relieved to be paired with Adrian. He'd already talked to the guy, and that was better in his mind than starting fresh with someone else. The two of them would be on call for walk-ins unless called to help one of the other teams.

Duties assigned, Edd sighed and followed Adrian to the first car that was being backed into the shop. He grabbed the packet with the maintenance details and looked it over quickly. Just an oil change, shouldn't be too bad.

"Grab the stuff, will ya?"

"Sure," Edd wandered off in search of the supplies they would need. The back wall of the garage had several shelves of oil pans, bottles of various car fluids, tires, and everything one would need to run an auto shop. Remembering what he had researched last night, he grabbed the appropriate items and returned to Adrian.

"So, what all did you do last night?" Adrian started the lift and glanced at Edd.

"Not much. Just chilled," Edd was trying to think of how verbose Kevin was with other people. He could be quite talkative if the subject was right, but he doubted the events of yesterday would be something Kevin would share, at least not all of the events of yesterday. "Hung out with my neighbor a bit." He hoped that was an adequate answer.

"The smart one?"

Edd paused for a second. Kevin talked about him at work? He didn't mention this when they went over everything last night. How much did they know about him?

"Yeah." Seemed a safe enough reply.

"He's working on that whatsit computer thing, right?"

"Uh...yeah." Kevin talked about his project! "Yeah, we tested out multiplayer mode last night. It was pretty cool."

"Cool, huh?" Adrian paused what he was doing, he gave Edd a strange side eye. The genius flinched slightly at the look. It was hinting at something. Why would this guy be giving him this look? Edd decided on something that he actually knew how to talk about.

"Yeah, it was cool. We did a maze, solved a riddle, then fought the boss." Edd hoped that would be enough for the look to go away.

Nope. Drat.

"And nothing else happened?" There was a teasing edge to Adrian's voice and he arched a brow.

Suddenly it all clicked. Kevin had said that the guys liked to make fun of his love life. They must think Kevin has a crush on him! Edd waved his arms back and forth in front of him, "No way man! There's nothing going on between me and Ke- umm… Edd."

"And why not?" Adrian seemed genuinely confused, "You haven't been seeing anyone since that one guy came in. You know, the one with the Camry, what was his name?"

Edd started to sweat a little. He didn't know the guys name. He didn't even know anything about a guy with a Camry. How would Kevin play off not remembering someone…

Edd shrugged and looked away.

"That's fucking harsh dude. You don't remember the guy's name?" Adrian was laughing now. Edd felt bad, he really did. He wanted to know this person's name so he didn't make Kevin seem like such a jerk, but he didn't get that information beforehand. Kevin was going to have to live with the consequences unfortunately.

"I...uhhh…" Edd honestly couldn't think of how to respond to that. Kevin wouldn't be that cruel. Right?

"Whatever, man. I ain't your keeper."

Edd remained silent. He wanted this conversation to change to anything else.

"Well," Adrian started to lower the car they had just finished with. "Why aren't you getting it on with this neighbor guy? Edd, or whatever?"

Not that.

Edd contemplated an answer as they pulled the next car into the space. Why hadn't he and Kevin done anything? Edd couldn't deny the physical attraction he had to his childhood tormentor. Personally, he didn't ever consider the possibility because he did not believe Kevin to be attracted to men. That could work.

"I don't think he'd like me, if you catch my drift." Edd's heart jumped a bit when Adrian looked his way. He seemed to be analyzing Edd, taking in every feature.

"You feeling alright?"

Edd froze. He was apparently doing a poor job of impersonating Kevin. He wasn't sure where he went wrong. Adrian seemed to have been buying the whole act, what gave him away? He had to do something that Kevin would do. He groaned internally at the thought.

"Yeah...I'm fan-fucking-tastic, I love getting the third degree from my coworkers." Edd cringed slightly as the words left his lips. "Makes my day."

Why did the redhead have to be so vulgar?

Adrian laughed long and loud at his response. The tension left Edd's shoulders. He pulled it off. For now.

"You're just too easy to rile up, man!"

Edd shook his head and went back to work. The rest of the day passed normally. Adrian either didn't notice anything else strange about Edd's actions as he pretended to be Kevin or didn't comment on them. The rest of the team was similar. Edd really couldn't believe just how much time the group of men spent telling Kevin how to handle aspects of his love life. They all wanted to know why he wasn't dating Edd or asking if he found various customers attractive as they came and went through the lobby. It was exhausting.

Edd was so relieved when the clock showed it was finally time for him to go home. He quickly changed out of his jumpsuit and jogged out to the parking lot where he'd left the bike. He revved the engine and took off for the cul-de-sac.

He'd never had a job before, at least outside of a small tutoring position that he had at the college library. That job was nothing like this one though. He set his own hours as a tutor and worked alone or one-on-one with whomever wandered into the study room. This job was highly social and busy. He wasn't sure how Kevin did it every day. He continued to contemplate the work day as he pulled into the driveway of Kevin's house.

Playing Kevin at work was just a warm-up. Now for the main event.

* * *

 **And there we have it! How do you think Kevin's parents will be with Edd? How will Edd be with them? Thoughts, feelings, concerns, cares, and questions are welcome!**

 **Also, I have some exciting news for you guys. Well, _I_ think it's exciting. I am currently writing another story during the time I have writer's block on this one. It's a Rev!Kevedd story, my first attempt at that universe. My plan with that one is to write the whole thing and then upload it in patches. Which is way different than how I do this one. I just upload as I finish the chapter for AVS.**

 **I wanted to see if it changes the motivation I have for writing the story and if I get work done faster because I'm not thinking chapter to chapter, I am thinking beginning to end. We'll have to see how that turns out. Worse comes to worse, I'll upload what I've got and do the chapter system I already have in place. We'll see!**

 **Ramblings over now. Leave a review if you would like to and I'll see you guys next time.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	8. Chapter 8

**Greetings everyone! Here I have the next chapter of this lovely story for you. I want to thank everyone for their patience when it comes to my uploading these chapters. I don't have a schedule or any sort of routine when it comes to writing. I just do it and when it's done you guys get it. So I really appreciate you all for sticking with me and my sporadic updates. I'll keep going as long as you guys keep liking it!**

 **Anyway, you're here for the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

Catherine Barr was a walking contradiction of looks and personality. Her heritage demanded as such. Though you would never be able to tell by looking at her, she could take down a man twice her size and no even break a sweat. She was 5'5" when she stood up _really_ tall, with flaming red hair and blue-green eyes. What she lacked in stature she made up for in a loud personality that filled every room she walked into and a left hook that would make heads spin.

She had met her husband, William, at a bar. He had been out with some college friends, drinking and just generally slacking off, when a two burly guys by the pool tables decided that the two women at the counter were going to go home with them.

Or else.

Their first mistake was assuming that they could get any woman in the bar to go home with them when they smelled like an unwashed pair of gym socks and looked like they didn't understand the concept of a haircut. Their second mistake was trying to pick up Catherine when she clearly had zero interest. William had been ready to jump to the ladies rescue when Catherine let loose a string of insults and choice words that would make her redheaded ancestors proud before socking the guy in the jaw. The guy went down. Hard.

And so did William.

Once the bouncer had dragged the _unconscious_ man and his friend outside, William cautiously made his way over to the woman of his dreams to say hello. Three hours of pool, drinks, and flirting later William swore off his bachelor life forever if it meant he could be with Catherine. To this day William swears that if Kevin had to pick a parent for a fight, he should pick his mom and hope that they don't need to clear up a murder charge afterwards.

Kevin had given Edd only a little bit of insight into how to deal with his parents. He'd warned against his mother's temper and his father's tendency to have the worst "dad jokes" in history, but for the most part said there wasn't much that Edd could do if his parents thought something was up. He was on his own to act as "Kevin" as possible, have dinner, give the vacation excuse, and leave.

Edd stood at the front door for several minutes, just trying to center himself for what he was about to do. If Kevin's parents noticed that something was off about the redhead, Edd was going to be hardpressed to come up with some reason for his behavior that didn't involve explaining a body switch. If it came down to it, he would just have to tell them everything and hope that Catherine didn't kill him. Edd took one more deep breath before unlocking the door and stepping in.

The house smelled like freshly roasted chicken and garlic mashed potatoes. Edd could make out a shadow moving around in the kitchen where the delicious scent of food was coming from. His stomach growled loudly at the idea of food. He pushed the door closed behind him and kicked off his shoes at the door.

"Kevin? That you sweetie?"

Edd's heart raced, "Yeah." He hoped that was enough of an answer.

"Welcome home! How was work today?" Catherine came around the corner. She was wearing a black and yellow apron with a crown embroidered into the center. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun and she was weilding a potato masher. Edd tried not to laugh at the image of this tiny lady fighting someone with it.

"It was good. Worked with Adrian all day."

Catherine smiled, "Is he still giving you a hard time about dating that one guy?"

Edd did his best impression of the exasperated groan he'd hear Kevin do whenever homework needed to be done, " _Yes._ I don't know why they won't just leave me alone."

Catherine laughed, "They mean well. I'm sure they are just giving you a hard time because they've all grown past their dating days. They're just living through you now."

"Great." Edd rolled his eyes and pouted.

"Go take a shower and change, dinner will be ready in 15."

 _That went well._

Edd jogged up the stairs. He found Kevin's room easily enough, there were baseball trophies and posters all over the place. The bed was unmade and a few clothes were on the floor, but otherwise the room was pretty clean. Edd's fingers twitched slightly as he looked at the sheets hanging sideways off the bed and onto the floor. He forced himself to ignore it and instead found a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to shower.

Finally clean of the day's grime and changed into fresh clothes Edd returned to Kevin's room. He rummaged through the closet looking for a bag of some sort to pack spare outfits in for his "trip". He needed at least a week's worth of clothes, plus something nice. Just in case.

Edd was moving shoes around in the bottom of the closet, looking for something other than sneakers, when a photo album fell forward from its place against the back corner. He picked up the album and turned it in his hands. There wasn't a label or anything special about it, the outside was decorated with three large horizontal stripes in soft pastels. If it wasn't for the obvious looking photo pages on the inside, Edd wasn't sure he would have known it was an album.

The first thing that ran through his mind was to place it back in the corner where he found it. This was Kevin's room and he obviously had hidden the album for a specific reason. It would be a complete invasion of his privacy to look through the pictures without permission. The second thing he thought was that he had to _be_ Kevin for the foreseeable future and the best way to do that was to know as much as he possibly could about the jock. Mementos hidden in the back of closets usually held the truest aspects of one's personality.

Still, Edd hesitated to open it. He could just ask Kevin about the album. If the jock wanted to share he would. Edd sat there staring at the album, until Kevin's mother's voice floated up the stairs, calling him for dinner. He shoved the album into the bag he was packing, and took another quick glance through the closet for shoes. He grabbed a pair of dress shoes and hid the album beneath them. He hurried out of the room and down to the kitchen.

"Will you grab the plates, please?" Catherine was taking chicken out of the oven, her back to Edd.

He froze in panic. He had _no idea_ where the plates were. His eyes darted around the room, hoping that plates would magically appear. Perhaps a giant arrow would fall from the ceiling to guide him. He sighed and turned his gaze to the woman before him again.

 _She's short, far too short to reach the top shelves of any of the higher cabinets._ A quick glance around the room. _I don't see an easily accessible footstool if she needed to get something from above her, so logically plates would need to be kept lower._ He examined the cabinets. _There's three sets of low hanging cabinets, one on either side of the stove and one by the refrigerator. The one by the fridge is closest to the dishwasher for easy storage after washing, I'll guess there._

Swallowing his racing heart as best he could, he made his way to his chosen cabinet and opened the door. The bottom shelf was bowls and glasses. The middle held dinner plates. He grinned and took down a couple, then paused.

"Will Dad be joining us tonight?"

Catherine turned and gave him a questioning look, "No, he has a late meeting today." She examined his face for a minute before going back to the chicken she was putting on a platter.

Edd closed the cabinet, taking the plates to the table. Catherine followed behind shortly, carrying the chicken. She served a piece to each plate and motioned for Edd to sit. He plopped into a chair and waited. She served them both potatoes before sitting in her own chair and fixing her gaze to Edd.

"So, what has you acting so odd today?"

Edd tried his best to will the panic from his eyes as he looked at her. Her eyes were green, like Kevin's, but much lighter in color. Closer to new leaves than the dark forest green that her son had. "Odd?" He finally replied, he returned this eyes to his plate and started eat.

"Yes, odd." She started eating as well, though her eyes would constantly flick up to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

She grinned at him, but it didn't seem menacing, more teasing than anything else. "You've been tense and jumpy since you got home. For a minute I thought you had completely forgotten where we keep the plates, you looked so flustered."

Kevin was right, his mom noticed everything. Edd couldn't hide how stressed he was about being in the redhead's home trying to pretend to be him while his mom was unaware that she had opened her home to a complete stranger. Though he figured it was pointless, Edd tried to hide his panic by eating. He didn't have to answer that very second. Right? Catherine's persistent stare said otherwise.

Edd swallowed hard, "Just a lot on my mind, I guess…"

"Is it that neighbor boy again?"

 _Huh?_

Edd's eye widened. Just how many people knew that he and Kevin were hanging out? The guys at the shop all seemed to know about Kevin's involvement with him this summer, now Kevin's mother knows as well? They had only been spending time together for about a week. Who else knew about their activities?

"Uhh...a little…" Edd winced at his own admission. Great, now Kevin's mom knew that whatever was wrong with her son was Edd's fault. _Way to go genius._

"Want to tell me about it?" Her tone was full of motherly concern. Edd's insides churned slightly with envy. He was sorely tempted to just give in and tell her. Her voice was comforting and full of so much love for her son.

Edd sighed and continued to eat, "Not really…"

"I know things have been difficult since your breakup with that girl, Stephanie was it?" Edd shrugged. "And then you had that thing just a few weeks ago with Jeffrey." _That must be the boy with the Camry_. "I know that didn't end the way you hoped it would, but you don't need to be so worried about falling for someone else so soon. There's nothing wrong with moving on"

Edd groaned into his hands, hiding his face. _Not again._ "I don't have a crush on Edd. We're just hanging out and working on his graduate school project together."

"And you were just hanging out and helping Jeff with his swing." Catherine chuckled at him, "If you really have feelings for this boy then you should admit it to yourself and then admit it to him." Her smile was soft and caring, yet it crinkled her eyes with amusement. She was teasing her son and loving every second of it.

"But I don't have feelings for him!"

"Of course you don't sweetie."

Dinner continued on in silence leaving Edd with nothing but his thoughts. There was so much more to Kevin than Edd had originally anticipated. He was not the casanova that he played himself off as. Kevin had apparently had several relationships that had ended badly and he had taken those breakups quite hard. This was a softer, more vulnerable side to the redhead than Edd had ever thought could exist. He started to ponder the contents of the photos album again. Could it possibly contain the memories of all of the past relationships that Kevin had? Would this Jeffery person he keeps hearing about be in there? Edd's stomach twisted with the thought.

Dinner was almost finished when Edd shook himself of his thoughts and realized that he hadn't mentioned to Catherine that Kevin was going on a trip. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him, "I was gonna go on a trip for a couple weeks. You know, just get out of town and relax for a bit."

Catherine looked at him with thoughtful eyes, "That's a little last minute. Why so sudden?"

"Ummm…The guys and I talked about it last night when we were hanging out. It sounded fun."

"I see." She paused as she took her plate to the sink to begin the dishes. "Who else is going on this trip?"

"J-just me." Edd had hoped she would just go with it, not interrogate him. His parents never asked these sorts of questions.

"A trip all by yourself? Won't you be lonely and bored? And where are you even going?" She turned to face him, arms crossed loosely at her waist.

"I-I was looking to get away from stuff. I'll have more time to figure things out by myself." Edd didn't think that sounded like something Kevin would say, but it was the best explanation he could give for why the redhead would want to go on such an extended trip without anyone else. Maybe she'd buy it given everything she had said about Kevin's dating life. He shrugged and continued, "I was going to head to the coast. Grab a hotel and chill."

"The beach _is_ wonderful this time of year…"

"Yeah," Edd looked away trying to hide his panic. She _had_ to agree to this, or he'd have to come back everyday and be Kevin for his parents until they were fixed.

"You're an adult. You can do what you want." Catherine smiled and went back to washing dishes.

"Thanks," Edd jumped up and brought his plate over to wash.

He hurried up the stairs to finish grabbing clothes and other necessities. As he threw Kevin's toothbrush and comb in, the album shifted back into view. He paused and looked at the cover again, thinking about to the discussions with Catherine during dinner. Edd closed the door to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub, pulling the album out. He really didn't want to invade Kevin's privacy like this, but he was _so_ curious as to what his neighbor had hidden away in the back of his closet. The deepest parts of his heart.

He flipped the cover open. The first photo was from when they were much younger. Kevin was standing in front of his house with Nazz and Rolf, arms around each other and backpacks at their feet. A little post-it note was tucked in " _First day of middle school._ " Edd smiled at how young the three were. Kevin was just the tiniest bit taller than Nazz, Rolf only a few inches higher than that. They were smiling widely, looking so happy about going to school.

The second page was more middle school pictures. First dance. First concert. Club activities. Award ceremonies. As he moved through the album it continued in a chronological slideshow of the redhead's life. High school pictures showed Kevin at football practice. Then at a baseball game, pitching. Playing basketball at the park with friends. Getting ready for a date for the homecoming dance. On and on, until his graduation photo. Kevin was holding his diploma and a signed copy of his baseball scholarship to the college he was going to, eyes dancing with happiness and grinning. Edd smiled and flipped to the next page.

Kevin wasn't in any of these photos. They were all of other people or sights that he had apparently visited during his college days. A few pages included newspaper clippings of articles talking about Kevin pitching for his school. Most were talking about how he was being professionally scouted even though he was only a Freshman.

When Edd moved to the next page it was filled with photos of one girl. She was very pretty, dark brown hair curled around her face. Her eyes were a beautiful light brown, almost honey in color. There were pages and pages of her. She was smiling, making kissy faces, rolling her eyes, laughing, just _being_. Her eyes glowed with love and adoration in every photo. The last page was a picture of her and Kevin leaning close together making a goofy face at the camera.

Edd went to close the album when he noticed the very back page had a piece of paper tucked into the photo slot. Gently he pulled it out and unfolded it. It was a letter to Kevin, from a girl names Stephanie. Edd figured she must be the girl in all the photos. He quickly skimmed the contents.

His grip tightened on the edge of the paper as he continued reading. His hands were shaking when he finished. Green eyes burned with angry tears that he refused to let fall. He tucked the letter back into the album and held it against his lap for a moment, thinking. Edd tucked the album under his arm and headed back to Kevin's room where he placed the book of memories back in its hiding place.

He sighed as he grabbed the bag he packed and headed back downstairs to say goodbye to Catherine. Promises to call were made and hugs exchanged. Edd tried his best not to be awkward about embracing the woman who was so much shorter than her son. He smiled at her as he left the house and hopped back on Kevin's motorcycle. He circled back after hiding on the next street over for a few minutes and pulled into his own garage.

Kevin was at the door that lead to the house as he put the helmet on a shelf and closed the garage door. Edd moved slowly into the house, Kevin followed behind bombarding him with questions about how the day went and if anything had happened to get them caught. Edd was deaf to the world as he stared around his home. Everything was as he left it that morning, just like the house always was.

Kevin grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. "Hey. I'm talking to you Double Dork."

Edd's gaze took in his own face. Kevin had his eyebrows drawn in with concern. Blue eyes flickering around trying to find answers to his questions. Edd reached out and wrapped his arms around him, pulling the startled man into a tight embrace.

"E-Edd! What the hell man?!" Kevin squirmed in his grasp, but couldn't break free.

"Just be quiet, Kevin."

* * *

 **Kind of a cliffhanger. Just a little one.**

 **So what do you think was in the letter? Do you think Catherine bought Edd's act or was she on to him the whole time? Her character is based off of my own mom. The story in the bar is partially true, my parents did meet under similar circumstances, but my mom didn't punch out a guy twice her size. I bet she could; she is a _scary_ Irish woman!**

 **Couple of quick housekeeping notes: I will going through and fixing spelling mistakes and other stupid typos that I've noticed when I reread this story. If you see updates and stuff like that, it's just me fixing my errors. Sorry about that. Also, I am still writing that other story that I mentioned last chapter. It's starting to rival this one in length, but it only has 4 chapters so far. I'm finding the urge to post it and have guys tell me what you think, but I want to have a bit more of it done before I do. Soon though, hopefully.**

 **See you next chapter. Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy New Year everybody! I hope your holidays were wonderful.**

 **We're starting to get into some serious stuff in our boy's lives. Let's see how they deal with it all.**

* * *

Edd refused to answer any of Kevin's questions on what had happened that day. He simply nodded when asked if everything had gone well. He didn't feel like he had the energy to answer with anything more specific. The harsh words of that letter he had read were still swarming around in his brain. How could anyone have been so cruel to the redhead? It didn't seem to make any sense, especially after seeing all of the loving photos and memories that the two had shared together. Edd hated to admit it, but he was actually angry at this girl he had never met. What gave her the right to act the way she had?

Edd mumbled some excuse about needing to work on his program so that he could fix them and left Kevin in the house. He just needed to escape from any reminders of what he had seen. He really regretted getting involved in the redhead's business that way. He should have just left the album in the back of the closet where it belonged and never opened it. Now he was forced to deal with his newfound knowledge.

He dropped himself in front of him computer and began checking the system for bugs or anything that had been miscoded in the "return" program. There had to be some sort of specific cause that allowed them to be themselves in the game, but change them once they returned to the real world. If it was simply an error in the writing of the program then it should switch them every time they go in and out. He checked his set up of the helmets and the wires that connected them to the hard drive. Nothing was out of place.

Edd let out a frustrated sigh and logged into this email. He was loathe to have to involve anyone else in his mess, but he really needed to bounce ideas off of someone who understood his concept. He pulled up his contact for the friend he had mentioned to Kevin before. He'd never really thought about it before, but this friend was surprisingly similar to his neighbor. They were both redheaded, in love with motorcycles, and could have a wicked temper when provoked. They even shared a name. Who would have guessed?

He quickly composed a message to his friend and sent it. There was a good chance that he would get a response from him relatively quickly. They both really lived on their computers. It was part of the reason they had become so close. They were able to chat online with each other at all hours of the day. The brainstorming evenings that they two shared really helped shape Edd's idea for the project he was working on. Honestly, if Kev hadn't suggested the idea of a more indepth video game world one drunken evening, none of this would have ever started. He smiled at the memory.

Kev's email pinged into his inbox. Edd had told him of the mishap with the machine and what he had already tried to fix it. The small redhead's first response was to laugh at Edd for the situation he was in. _Thank you so much for that._ Then he started being actually helpful and asking for the diagnostic results and what exactly had lead up to the change. Edd described everything he could, as best he could.

He suggested rebooting the system. _Really? Try turning it off and back on again? That's the best you have?_ Kev just laughed again. Edd wondered how many years it would put him behind if he murdered his friend. Technology was updating and growing everyday. Probably not worth it.

 _Yet._

It was hours later that the two computer techs decided that they weren't going to get a solution that night. Edd had to go to work again in the morning anyway, best to be well rested. He was getting ready to shut down his system when Kev message his IM service.

 **KA: So, what's this neighbor guy like anyway? Should I be worried?**

 **DD: Worried about what exactly, Kevin?**

 **KA: I mean…**

 **KA: You know.**

 **DD: You and I didn't work out the first two times we tried dating. Why would you think a third would be a good idea? I believe we are better friends than we are lovers.**

 **KA: I know that's what you think, but we do so well together! Why won't you give us another chance?**

 **DD: Kevin, I really don't have the energy or the mental fortitude to deal with this conversation right now.**

 **KA: Fine, but you know I'm right Edd. I was the first person you thought of to get help from. I'm always the first person you call for help when you need it.**

 **DD: Needing an equal mind to assist me in my computer program seriously limits my choices on who I can call for assistance. Furthermore, I do not appreciate you using this fact as some sort of evidence that we should try our relationship over again.**

 **DD: We tried. It failed. Twice.**

 **KA: I gave you another chance, why won't you give me one?**

 **DD: Besides the fact that I am not you and therefore think completely differently from how you do; the circumstances of needing a second chance vary immensely.**

 **KA: You messed up. I messed up. How is that so different?!**

 **DD: I am not having this conversation with you right now. I have already stated as much.**

 **KA: Fine.**

…

 **KA: Should I be worried though?**

 **DD: Yes.**

 _ **DD is offline**_

Edd sighed heavily and dropped his head against his desk. Why did Kevin have to be so persistent about the dating thing? It really was thanks to him that Edd was finally able to break out of his shell and be a person. He'd kept himself so sheltered from the world that all he really knew in life was how to do well at school. Sure, he'd had Ed and Eddy growing up, and they had gotten into all sorts of mischief as kids, but the really important things in life like understanding people and being yourself and knowing that _sometimes_ it was okay to break a few rules to really live were all taught to him by Kevin.

It seemed only natural that after everything the small redhead had taught him, he would also teach him how to love. After a semester of being exposed to what life could really be like with Kevin by his side, Edd took a chance with his heart for the first time ever and asked Kev to date him. At first the whole situation had been incredibly awkward. Edd had _absolutely no idea_ what it meant to be a boyfriend.

He missed dates.

Ignored phone calls.

Forgot to text.

By the end of the first two weeks Kevin was ready to beat Edd into the ground with his keyboard. So he sat the computer genius down and laid out the ins and outs of dating. Just like everything else in his life, Edd was a quick study. At the end of the following week, there wasn't a happier couple at the university. However, when finals came around, Edd regressed back into his old habits to study for his finals. All Kev wanted was to talk to him, and he ignored the small redhead in favor of locking himself in his dorm, pouring over books and web articles.

So Kevin ended it.

When Edd had finally turned his phone and email back on, he found _dozens_ , if not over a _hundred_ messages from his boyfriend asking where he was and why he wasn't answering. The final voicemail he received said that if school was so important that he couldn't even answer the phone, then he didn't need to worry about answering it _ever_ again. Edd was distraught. He spent the entire summer talking to Eddy about what had gone wrong. Eddy had some harsh truths for him. "Frankly Sockhead, I can't believe he stayed as long as he did. If my girl had pulled that shit on me, I would have kicked her to the curb after a couple _days_ , not wait around calling for three and a half weeks."

Edd called and apologized. He asked if they could be friends again if Kev could find it in his heart to forgive him. Kevin agreed that they could try being friends, and set a strict no touching rule to make sure that they took their friendship seriously after the breakup. He didn't want Edd trying to weasel his way back into his good graces with physical affections, or something like that.

Kevin broke that rule _immediately_.

Edd chuckled quietly as he remembered how the redhead had seen him moving boxes into his new dorm from across the courtyard and ran straight into his arms, covering his face and everything else that he could with kisses. They spent that night wrapped in each other's arms, just trying to reconnect. Attempt number two went so much smoother. It really seemed like the brilliant couple was going to make it that time. Until-

"Double Dork! I've been trying to get your attention for, like, a whole minute! What's up with you?"

Edd jolted in his chair. "Oh. Hello, Kevin. My apologies, I was just lost in thought."

"Whatever. Did you friend have suggestions for fixing the program?"

"Nothing that we have not already tried. I gave him the results of all the diagnostics that I ran and he is going to look them over and get back to me." Edd sighed and got up, "In the meantime, did you have dinner already?"

"Yeah… I ate hours ago."

"Good." Edd walked past Kevin and into the house. He really was not in the mood for any of this anymore. Between work, Kevin's mom, that letter he should _not_ have read, and Kev being annoying, Edd just wanted to go to bed and forget this day happened. He climbed the stairs and went straight to his room, locking the door behind him, and flopping on the bed. He was vaguely aware that Kevin had been calling to him as he left.

He ignored the polite knocking at his door, choosing to roll over and stare at the wall instead.

He also ignored the pounding on his door.

However, he could not ignore when Kevin _picked the lock_ on his door and burst into the room.

Edd bolted upright and stared at the skinny figure radiating intimidation and fury into his room. Edd never thought of himself as a scary individual, but when Kevin was him, Edd was _scary_.

"What the actual _fuck_ is wrong with you tonight?!" Kevin roared, making Edd's usual high pitched voice gruff with anger, "You come home, _hug me_ of all things, dodge _all_ of my questions and then lock yourself in either the garage or your room! What the fuck happened today?!"

Edd rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Watch your language in my house, Kevin."

"The _hell_ I will! I have been sitting around here all damn day waiting for you to come back!" Kevin jabbed his finger at Edd's face, "You left here this morning acting like the cockiest prick! You were outright _flirting_ with me and now you won't even look me in the eye! What. The _fuck_. _Happened_?!"

Edd blushed slightly at Kevin reminding him of that morning's conversation. He turned his head to avoid being seen, "Couldn't I simply have had a long day and wish to be left alone?"

"No. I've seen people have long days. _I've_ had long days. Long days don't make people act the way you are. You are being a complete asshole and I want to know why!"

Edd could feel his temper rising, "Perhaps I just do not act the same as you after a stressful day."

Kevin grabbed Edd's shoulder and forced him to turn and face him, "God dammit Edd! We switched fucking _bodies_ yesterday and your response was to _cook dinner_! What the hell kind of a stressful day did you have that you won't talk to me?!"

Edd jumped to his feet, pressing the wall of muscle that was Kevin's body forward and forcing Kevin to step back. "What do you want from me, Kevin?" Kevin's eyes widened slightly at how menacing it was to face himself when he was trapped as a stick figure. Especially because if he were in this position right now, he'd be yelling. Edd was practically whispering, and for some reason, that was _terrifying_. "Tell me what you would like to hear, so that I may get on with my evening."

"W-what happened at work?" _Damn, I did not mean to stutter right there._

"Nothing that you did not warn me about. The shop was busy today."

"And my mom?"

"She's a lovely woman. I told her of the trip during dinner, then left."

"What about your friend?"

Edd sighed, "He proved to be currently unhelpful, but he will get back to me at a later time and we'll try again."

"T-then…" Kevin looked away, "Then why are you acting like this?"

The genuine concern in Kevin's voice diminished what was left of Edd's anger. Kevin was really worried that something had happened to him today and his response was to ignore him. He had probably spent all day anxiously waiting for Edd to get home and let him know what had gone on in his own life when he couldn't live it.

Edd sighed again and sat back on the bed, holding his head in his hands. Should he tell Kevin that his coworkers all think that they should be dating? That his mother thinks Kevin is crushing on him? Should he tell him that he read the letter from that horrible girl? Should he tell him that the one other person in the whole world that could potentially fix them is his ex? Furthermore, that his ex now thinks that he and Kevin are somehow romantically involved? How about that even though it's been only 24 hours since the switch, every second that goes by makes it seem more impossible for him to find a way to change them back? He'd been secretly hoping that Kev would simply look at the program and point out his mistake. The same way he would point out his mistakes on homework, or when he coded something wrong. How bad was this that Kev didn't know how to fix them either?

"Edd?" Kevin placed a hand on Edd's shoulder, "C'mon man, if anyone knows what you went through today, it's me. You can talk to me."

Edd laughed despite his foul mood. Of course Kevin would understand. Most of his current worries were all _Kevin's_ problems.

Kevin's coworkers.

Kevin's mother.

Kevin's terrible ex girlfriend.

At least that narrowed it down to what he should actually tell him.

Edd removed his head from the safety of his hands and looked up. Blue eyes were staring at him with nothing but curious concern and a desire to help. _Maybe he_ can _help._ "The person that I asked for help from is my ex." Edd mumbled out quietly and blushed, "He's jealous of our friendship, and I'm worried about how that will affect his work ethic on getting us returned to normal."

Kevin cocked a brow, "What does our friendship have to do with him?"

"He wants to date again," Edd sighed and flopped back on the bed to stare at the ceiling.

"Ah." Kevin moved to sit beside him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "Well, is there any chance that you will be getting back together with him?"

"Not even remotely."

"Then I guess he is going to have to suck it up and move on," Kevin shrugged.

Edd rolled his eyes, "Easier said than done, Kevin."

"I'm not gonna pretend I know everything about dating, but I do know that unrequited love tends to only have one ending. He'll move on. Maybe not today, tomorrow, or even any time this summer, but he'll have to get there eventually."

Edd sighed again and closed his eyes to avoid the temptation to look at those concerned blue eyes again. Kevin probably was the expert on unrequited love if the last two relationships Edd had heard about were any indication. The thought broke the genius's heart all over again. It wasn't _fair_ that a guy like Kevin had gone through all of the emotional turmoil he'd had in the last two years. The break up with Stephanie, realizing he was bi, whatever happened with the Camry guy, and _who knows_ _what else_ in between. His concerns from that day came full circle as he wondered if Kevin was experiencing some unrequited feelings right now. _Again_. His coworkers and mother certainly thought so, but what did he think?

"Look man," Kevin pulled him from his thoughts. "You're the most brilliant guy I know. Even if this ex of yours turns out to be an overly jealous asshat, you're going to figure out how to fix us."

Edd blushed. Kevin's faith in him was endearing. Maybe his feelings weren't so unrequited. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."

"No problem." Kevin smiled down at him and noticed the blush. His own cheeks turned pink and he had to look away. He could understand issues with an ex. He had enough of his own to know that even the ones that seem like they won't be any trouble after the break up, cause trouble. No one likes being forced into uncomfortable situations with an ex, and Edd was in an uncomfortable situation that he then had to get his ex involved with. Doesn't make for the most pleasant of evenings after working all day.

 _Wait…_

Edd didn't contact his ex until _after_ he had gotten home, but he was acting weird when he walked in the door. Oddly quiet, refusing to answer questions, and that hug; what caused all that?

"So…" Kevin kept his eyes fixed on the carpet. He could feel Edd turn to look at him, but if he was going to pry into his neighbor's head again, he needed all the fake courage the floor could give him. "What else has you feeling so down today?"

"Is that not enough?"

"I mean, _sure_ , but…" Kevin heistated. Edd seemed in a better mood now, since his sarcastic tone had finally returned, was his curiosity worth ruining that? _Probably not_ , but he was going to risk it anyway. "You didn't contact your ex until after getting back from my house. Why'd you hug me?"

There was a long pause and the awkward tension in the room was starting to weigh on Kevin's mind. He should have just been quiet. He should have just accepted the one answer he'd gotten and left the dork alone. Their relationship was stressful enough without him creating problems by being nosy. _God I am so_ stupid _sometimes_.

"I…" Edd paused and sighed again. He looked stressed and worried and just plain _tired_. Edd looked away again, his voice was quiet. "I just had a long day."

Kevin nodded, hoping Edd could see the movement. He didn't trust himself to speak again. He knew Edd was lying again, but there was only so much pushing he could do in a single day. Kevin gave a couple quick pats to Edd's arm before standing and heading for the door. He grabbed the handle to pull it shut behind him.

"Goodnight, Kevin."

"Night, Edd." He shut the door quietly and went to the guest room. Maybe he could try again tomorrow.

* * *

 **Did you guys see Edd's ex being who he was? I sure didn't.**

 **I heavily debated making him an OC. I decided that it would be better for me to have him be the other Kevin because of that other story I am working on. Also, as I was describing that influential person in Edd's life in previous chapters, I could really only think of the little redhead for fulfilling that role. It was just too perfect. Kevin Anderson is like a gift to the world. _Sometimes_. He belongs to Asphyxion. **

**I outlined the remaining plot points I want to hit for this story while I was away for Christmas. If everything writes the way I want it to, we are half way done with this tale. I also worked on the outline for my other story and that one is looking to be just as long chapter wise. Maybe longer because right now those chapters are double the length of these ones usually.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter should be out in a couple weeks. Give or take a few days. My birthday is this month and my friends have parties and whatnot planned that I should _probably_ go to. Maybe, hahaha.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey...**

 **I won't waste your time. See list of excuses below and pick your favorite.**

* * *

The next day Edd left for work while Kevin was at the gym. He left behind a sticky note saying that he would be going to the library that evening to research some information and that Kevin should eat without him. Kevin grumbled as he pulled the note from the wall and crumpled it in his hand.

A second note was underneath reminding him to stay inside and not cause problems.

Just _who the hell_ did the dork think he was ordering him around like that?! Kevin was an adult, he could go do whatever he pleased. Well, sort of. He was currently trapped in the body of a small nerd who could barely run. That, and any friend group he would normally hang out with during his days off would not recognize him. He was seriously limited to what he could do during the day.

 _But still!_ Kevin was an adult and he could do what he wanted.

Yesterday he had simply stayed home and watched TV. He found an old video game console and set that up to play some really old version of Mario Brothers, but other than going to the gym that morning he hadn't left the house. Just as Edd had instructed.

Today was going to be different.

Kevin quickly got ready for the day, then checked the bus schedule so he could head downtown. It seriously blowed that Edd didn't have a car or anything. How did the dork deal with getting around on public transit all the time? Especially when he knew how to ride. Once Kevin got a taste of what it was like to be that free on the road, he couldn't give it up. He _wouldn't_ give it up; not for the whole world. However, wishing wasn't going to manifest a car for him to drive, so the bus was going to have to do.

It took nearly an hour to make the 20 minute drive downtown. Kevin jogged off the bus and sighed in relief as he looked around. He hadn't really planned on doing anything specific once he arrived. He just knew that if Edd wanted him to stay in the house and "avoid causing additional trouble" he was going to do everything in his power to ignore him.

He started with grabbing breakfast at the local diner. He chowed down on overly salty bacon, an omelette with all the fixings, and hashbrowns. Edd's stomach protested all of the food, but Kevin was determined to be himself for a day, even if this body said otherwise. Maybe he was just being petty, but if Edd was going to be a jerk, he was going to be a jerk too. He flirted with his waitress, but she just rolled her eyes and asked if his parents knew he was out on his own.

 _Edd's stupid baby face is ruining my mojo._

His next stop was at the video game store. There was a new FPS game out that he wanted to pick up. Luckily he had reserved his copy and paid ahead of time. Kevin didn't have enough cash to buy the game and do anything else that day. He might be rebelling against Edd's wishes, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to try and use the dork's credit card. It would definitely be the weirdest case of identity theft the police had ever heard of.

It was only about noon by the time he left the game store, so he headed to the movies. He grumbled about Edd's baby face again when the guy at the ticket counter _insisted_ that he needed to see an ID before he could purchase the ticket to the new R rated slasher horror movie.

One awkward sex scene, six bloody murders, and a cheesy 'oh no the monster isn't dead' cliffhanger ending later, Kevin left the theater and found a bench out front to relax on. His anger at his neighbor had dissipated considerably over the last several hours. Now he was just concerned again.

Sure, Edd had been a real ass yesterday. He had blatantly ignored him, and then continued to hide information from him about whatever had happened that day. However, something must have seriously rattled the poor guy to have him acting as spacey as he was. Edd was always so calm and collected. Even when they were younger and Eddy's scams would fail horribly, Edd would usually keep a level enough head to find some sort of solution to their problems. Logical and kind hearted; Edd didn't have it in him to be mean on purpose, so what had him acting the way he did?

Then there was the issue with Edd's ex. Edd said he trusted this guy to help fix them, and then turned around and said he wasn't sure how he would act given the friendship between Edd and himself. Jealousy could be a real bitch to deal with, but was this dude such a prick that he would leave Edd completely stranded as someone else for the rest of his life? What reason did this guy have to be jealous in the first place? He and Edd weren't _that_ close. Closer than they had been before the start of summer, but switching bodies had that sort of effect on people. Was his ex just the kind of person who wouldn't give up on a past lover just _because_? The genius hadn't mentioned why the two of them had broken up, but Kevin got the impression that is was apparently a one-sided decision.

The whole situation gave Kevin a headache.

He leaned back on the bench and stared at the sky. The movie hadn't been that long, so it was still fairly early in the afternoon. He had a few more hours until Edd would be off work, and then _who knows_ how many hours after that since Edd would be at the library for most of the evening. Probably long enough to completely dodge seeing him. Kevin was sure Edd didn't want to have a repeat of last night's conversation. It wouldn't surprise him if the dork stayed out all night to avoid him.

"Double D!"

Kevin found himself being pulled off the bench by his arm and gripped tightly by someone. He was spun in circles before being plopped roughly back on his feet. Kevin shook his head to get his vision back to normal before looking at his assaulter.

Ed, and behind him stood Eddy.

 _Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!_

"Where ya been Sockhead? We've been calling you. We both got the day off and wanted to hangout," Eddy said.

Kevin tried his best not to look like he was panicking, but it was really difficult since he felt like was about to have a heart attack. He just stared at the two Eds and didn't say anything.

Eddy raised an eyebrow, "Yo! Earth to Brainiac! What's wrong with you?"

 _You have to say something Kevin! Dammit, why didn't Edd prepare me for talking to these guys!_

"I-I...uhh…I left my phone at home since I was going to a movie." Kevin avoided eye contact with the other two. He and Edd hadn't exchanged phones since Edd needed to be able to contact his ex. Edd probably didn't have any idea that he had missed calls from these two. His phone would probably be in the locker at work so it didn't get damaged in the shop.

"Pssh. You could have just put it on silent. You didn't have to leave it at home." Eddy rolled his eyes, "Anyway, Lumpy and I were gonna go see that new horror movie. Wanna come?"

"Oh. I...uhh...already saw it. That's why I'm here." Kevin looked sheepishly at the ground. This was not how the day was supposed to go. These two were going to suspect something.

"You watched it without us, Double D?!" Ed pouted.

"Yeah! What the hell, Sockhead?"

Kevin shifted uncomfortably, "I...needed a break from my project, so I decided to watch a movie."

 _That's a good excuse. Right?_

"And you didn't think to call us first?"

"Well, normally you are working so I didn't think to…"

"Some friend you are." Eddy scoffed, "Well, since you've already seen it, let's go back to my place and chill. I've got that new video game that just came out."

 _No. Bad idea. Such a bad idea._

Kevin shook his head and backed away from the two, "I-I should really get back to work on my project."

Eddy groaned, "Just do it later! You've got the whole freakin' summer to finish that stupid thing."

The twisting feeling in Kevin's stomach just kept getting more intense the longer the conversation went on. Edd had mentioned that he might have to hangout with these two, but the earliest was supposed to be _Friday night!_ He was seriously starting to regret rebelling against Edd's wishes. If he hadn't been so angry and impulsive and just _stayed home_ like he was told to, none of this would be happening.

 _Damn that stupid dork for being right._

He found himself in a waking nightmare. Ed had grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to Eddy's car. Eddy had bought the car from his dad's dealership before freshman year of college. The car itself wasn't fancy, just a Ford Taurus, but Eddy did his best to add some _style_ to it. There was a set of fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror and equally fuzzy covers over the front seats. The front dash was littered with knickknacks and fast food wrappers. The back was similarly covered.

Kevin was sure that if Double D had gotten into the car his OCD would kick in immediately and he would reprimand Eddy for the state of his vehicle, but Kevin couldn't bring himself to care. He was too panicked about being trapped with Dorky and Dorkier. He tuned out the rambling conversation that the other two were having in the front seat and tried to concentrate on figuring out a way out of this mess. Part of him contemplated just jumping from the car. If he was _himself_ he'd probably survive. Edd's tiny body however…

He grumbled lowly in his throat realizing he was actually going to have to spend an evening doing _whatever_ it was that the three Ed's normally did together when they hangout. Once upon a time he might have assumed that Eddy would try to drag them into some strange money making scheme and they'd be tricking their neighbors into buying cheap junk, but now? Now, he wasn't sure what to expect. All he knew was he was going to need to find some excuse to get away from these two for just a minute so he could call Edd and hope the genius had a brilliant plan to help him escape.

"Yo! Sockhead! Why're you so spacey today? We're here." Eddy yelled as he slammed the door shut and sauntered towards the door to his house.

Kevin scrambled out of the car and glanced longingly at the safety of Edd's house just down the street. He kept his head down as he followed the other two into the house. He'd never been in Eddy's house before; he did his best to avoid situations that would require him to go inside. It really was just a normal home, not too unlike his own. Furniture that looked worn, but not in horrible condition. The kitchen had a few dishes stacked next to the sink. Family photos and decorations lined the hallway. All normal.

Eddy's room looked very much like his car. There was an extremely dusty disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Shag carpets and neon colored paintings were placed randomly around the room. The furniture, minus the dresser, was centered around the TV, so that whatever seating arrangement guests decided to take there would be a good view of the screen.

 _Breathe Kevin. Say something that sounds reasonably intelligent and excuse yourself to make a phone call._

"Are you ready for the movie Double D?!" Ed shouted despite being right next to him.

Kevin flinched away, "Uh sur-I mean, yes, I am. I just need to make a quick phone call." Eddy quirked a brow at him. "I won't be but a moment." Kevin smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring and Double Dork-like manner.

"Whatever, just hurry back."

 _Oh thank God!_

"I shall."

Kevin hurried out of the room and hid in the kitchen. He dialed the number for the shop and prayed that Edd wasn't in the middle of anything so serious that Cory would be willing to let him answer the phone.

The line clicked as the ringing stopped, "Cory's Machine Shop. Cory speaking, how may I help you?"

Kevin couldn't help but grin, he always liked Cory. He was a giant nerd at heart, but kept it hidden under his tough guy, mechanic exterior. "Hi, could I speak to E-Kevin please?"

"He's in the shop at the moment. Is this about a car he worked on?"

"No, this is a friend of his. I just need to speak with him real quick. It's kinda important."

"Just a minute." The line crackled for a second, "Who's calling?"

Kevin thought for a second. If he said Kevin, that would be a little odd. Edd probably wouldn't know if it was him, or some _other_ Kevin that was calling. The dork was always one to overthink stupid stuff like that. The same went for saying Edd. _He_ knew he didn't know any other Edd's, except the three he grew up with. _That's not complicated at all._ There was no way to know that Double D didn't know that... _Oh! Double D!_

"Tell him Double D, he'll know who I am."

There was a slight pause before Cory mumbled something unintelligible and the line went to hold music. Kevin drummed his fingers against his leg as he waited and hoped that Edd would know this was important.

"Hello?" Kevin heard his own voice through the line. _Still weird._

"Edd." He hissed into the phone, "Your friends found me and dragged me to Eddy's house for a movie. What the hell do I do?"

"Found you? What does that mean?"

Kevin rolled his eyes, "That's not important!" Well it probably was, but he wasn't going to tell Edd that he deliberately ignored his order to stay home and went wandering around town. "The important thing is they won't let me leave and I don't know how to be _you_! So find a way to get me out of here."

"Right." Edd hummed into the phone for a second, "Well you'll probably be watching a movie, so there won't be much of a reason to converse. Simply nod at anything Eddy says and tell them to stop arguing because it's childish. That will cover the majority of any conversations."

"What?! I'm not staying here! Find a way to get me out of this!"

"This was going to happen at some point. It would be for the best to simply get it out of the way. As we are stuck as each other for the foreseeable future, I suggest you make do."

 _Since when is the dork such an ass?!_

"Edd I swear when I am myself again I am going to give you such a pounding!"

Edd chuckled into the phone for a second, "Oh that sounds lovely. Do let me know when that will be happening? I like to be prepared before I get pounded."

Kevin's eyes widened in horror as he blushed from head to toe. The dork was at it again! What the hell?! "I-I-I…"

"Ah. Ah. Ah. Use your words." Edd teased quietly, "You were so eloquent just now, I know you can express yourself better than that."

"I-I...Sh-shut up, Dork!"

"If you insist. I must be getting back to work anyway. Have a wonderful evening, _Double D._ " The line went dead.

Kevin was shaking with shock and nerves. Edd was going to be the death of him, he just knew it. He took a deep breath and exhaled as slowly as he possibly could. His fate for the evening was pretty much sealed, he'd have to act his part just as Edd had to the day before. Part of him had secretly hoped that the genius would have them fixed before it came to that. He sighed and hid his phone. At least Edd seemed to be returning to normal if he was being a sassy flirt. Kevin figured that was a small win for the day.

* * *

 **So here's my reasons:**

 **1: Remember how I said last chapter that it was my birthday soon? That took up way more of my free time than I thought it would. I had a party one weekend. I went out of town another weekend. I went to a concert a third weekend. I was a busy social butterfly.**

 **2: My work had an issue come up that required me to work 12 hour days for a while. So I my schedule for weekdays was pretty much wake up, work, eat, pass out. I was still writing a little bit when I could, but I really only had the energy for maybe a paragraph before I went to bed. That awfulness should end this week, so here's hoping I get back to biweekly updating.**

 **3: Writing Kevin is HARD. I knew I needed to get a few chapters of the jock, but I relate so much more to Edd than I do Kevin. I was kind of the nerdy know-it-all in high school, and I don't do sports. Or cars. Or working out. Pretty much everything that I made Kevin into for this story. Love him anyway, but I was struggling with his dialog and mannerisms for this chapter.**

 **I hope one of those is fair enough for why it took me so long to get this to you guys. I am so terribly sorry.**

 **I had fun with this chapter though. I know I have things in here that don't necessarily make sense. Like Eddy and Ed getting mad at "Edd" for seeing the movie without them when they were going to go without him, but I picture Eddy being that kind of person. Also I think they are kind of oblivious which is why they didn't think to mention anything about "Edd" suddenly having a phone when supposedly left his at home earlier. It's little things like that that make up Ed and Eddy in my mind. Very spur of the moment and not the best at retaining information haha.**

 **More soon. Promise.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	11. Chapter 11

**Greetings all! I had this sudden burst of inspiration and wrote this entire thing in just a couple hours. That being said, it's past 1 in the morning and I did not edit this. Please excuse any mistakes.**

* * *

Edd chuckled to himself as he hung up the phone on Kevin. He knew the rebellious jock must have left the house. If Ed and Eddy had come to the door, Kevin wouldn't have answered. It was especially obvious since Kevin referred to himself as being "found". He felt that it was only fair, in that case, to make Kevin pay for his actions. Edd told him to stay inside, Kevin wanted to break the rules, now it was time to face the music.

He couldn't help but grin at the flustered stuttering of his neighbor after teasing him. Kevin was the epitome of a dominant male. Being flirted with and teased by the normally submissive Edd was more than enough to throw him off his game and resign him to the fact that he would have to spend the evening with Ed and Eddy. Edd probably could have found a way to get him out of video game and movie night. He just didn't want to.

As he made his way back into the shop, he noticed that everyone was giving him a side-eye and smirking. Edd sighed and resumed his spot under the car he had been changing the oil on.

 _Teasing begets teasing Eddward. Karma at its finest._

While Edd was dodging questions about the mysterious "Double D" that called, Kevin was dodging _all_ conversation that Eddy was trying to engage him in. He had taken Edd's advice and had been simply nodding in agreement to everything the short Ed was saying, but now they had moved on to topics that didn't involve agreeing. Now they were talking about future plans, family problems, and worst of all: _dating_. Kevin only knew about one of Edd's exes, and he didn't even know the guy's name.

"C'mon Double D! You've had every single day of the summer to go out and find some hot girl or guy to schmooze. Whataya been doin' all this time?" Eddy threw some popcorn at Kevin's head as if to reinforce his point.

"I have my project to work on," Kevin mumbled.

"Your project can't be your whole life! I mean, I know you want to get into some hotshot school and whatnot, but there's more to life than that. Get out and live every once in a while."

"I'm perfectly content as I am at the moment," Kevin sighed and rolled his eyes. Talking like Edd was getting a little easier. He just had to adjust the order of his words a little and say something slightly pompous. Ed and Eddy seemed fooled.

Eddy's response was to throw more popcorn across the room. "You have dated anyone since that Kevin guy you met at school." Kevin tensed immediately at the mention of his name. "I mean, I know things didn't end exactly... _good_ between you two, but you can't hold yourself a bachelor pity party for forever."

Kevin relaxed slightly, realizing that this ex simply shared his name. It is a fairly common name. "I am not throwing myself a pity party, Eddy." He sighed again, then rolled his eyes to himself, "Also, it's ended _well_ , not ended good."

 _Stupid Double Dweeb and his grammar habits. I can't believe I noticed that._

"Yeah, yeah and it's all _well_ and _good_ until you end up alone for the rest of your life."

"I'm only 22! I still have quite a while to find someone to be with."

"And you have only dated one guy!"

"Yes, and that ended so _spectacularly_." Kevin gave himself a pat on the back. For not knowing much about Edd's personal life, he was really holding his own in this stupid conversation.

"Look, I know the guy cheated on you, but not all relationships are going to end that way," Eddy said softly. "You shouldn't give up on it just cause of one bad boyfriend."

Kevin visibly tensed. _Edd was cheated on?! But why? Edd's such a sweet guy, how could anyone cheat on him?_

"I'm sorry Double D. I know you told me not to bring that up again…" Eddy shrunk into his chair and stared at Kevin. He was tense from head to toe with a look of shock and panic on his face.

Kevin struggled to come up with some kind of Edd-like answer. Would the guy be okay with Eddy bringing up a topic he had apparently been told _not_ to bring up, or should he get angry? Did he get angry at friends, or was his anger reserved just for Kevin?

 _OK. OK. Pros and cons…_

 _Pro: get more information about Edd so you don't fuck up with brain switch thing._

 _Con: get caught invading his privacy by getting his friends to talk about his past without his permission._

 _Pro: know more about this ex that is supposed to be fixing us._

 _Con: Edd kicks my ass while he is still in my body and stronger than me._

 _Shit. Have to say something…_

"It's...alright, Eddy." Kevin kept his head down and twiddled his thumbs. A nervous habit of Edd's that he had noticed.

Ed popped up suddenly from being shoulder deep in the cabinet where all the movies were, "Don't worry Double D! Kevin is just the chicken of your life while you are looking for a penguin." He dove back into the cabinet and continued to fumble around in the dark space.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Lumpy?"

Ed yelled through the cabinet, "Chickens crow for every morning, but penguins only sing for one!"

Eddy quirked a brow at Kevin and waited for an explanation. Kevin suddenly wished he had paid more attention to the tour guide when they went to the zoo as kids. Why the hell was Ed comparing Edd's love life to birds? And why penguins for that matter?

 _Oh right!_

"Penguins mate for life and they find that mate by singing to them," Kevin smiled. Now he couldn't wait to get back to Edd's house and tell the genius about how smart he was!

Eddy just rolled his eyes, "Whatever... Do-uhh-do you want to take about it?"

 _Yes!_

"Perhaps... I've honestly tried to put it from my mind. What do you already know?" Kevin gulped and prayed that this didn't end badly.

"Not a whole lot really. Just that after you guys got back together after your first breakup everything had been going fine. Back to normal. Then he called you one night when he was supposed to be at some engineering thing and said he had slept with someone."

 _Fucking asshole._

"That is really the whole story..." Kevin paused, then took a deep breath, "He wants to get back together. I needed some...assistance with my project and messaged him. He seemed-uhh- _remorseful_ and asked for forgiveness."

"You didn't give it to him, right?!" Eddy glared at him. His fists were clenched into the fabric of the armchair.

"No. No…I didn't." Kevin kept his head down. He knew he was running out of information to give Eddy. He needed the guy to take over the conversation again.

"Did he say anything else?"

 _Shit! Well, he did…_

"He seemed...jealous of the friendship that I have established with Kevin this summer." Kevin cringed slightly, hiding it as best he could.

"Shovel-chin?"

Kevin suppressed his anger as best he could. His chin was perfectly normal! "Aren't we a little old for childish nicknames, Eddy?"

 _Whoa. Déjà vu._

"You know he still calls us names!"

"That's beside the point."

"Fine! So your old Kevin is mad about your _new_ Kevin-"

"He is _not_ my Kevin!" Kevin blushed heavily.

"Hey, he's not my first choice, but I know you liked him back in high school." Kevin didn't think it was possible to blush any harder. "Also, I have it on good authority that he plays for both teams like you do."

 _How the hell does he know that?!_

"W-what?" He managed to stutter out, but kept his fists clenched at his sides.

"Yeah, friend-o-mine takes his car to that shop he works at. Guess the guys there were given him a hard time about some dude he had been dating and my friend overheard. Thought I'd like to know," Eddy grinned.

"I-I see…"

"So are you and Shovel-chin more than friends?"

"I doubt he would see me that way." Kevin sighed. Edd was any guy's, or girl's, dream really. He was smart and witty and had a surprisingly adventurous side to him. He knew how to cook, was a genius with computers, had probably ready every book known to man. The guy learned how to be a mechanic _overnight_ with nothing but Kevin's advice and a few how-to manuals on the internet! There wasn't anything Edd couldn't do.

What could Kevin do? He was a decent mechanic and he knew how to play ball. Other than that he had really been skating by on just his looks and charisma. He had decent grades in school, but he wasn't anywhere near where the genius was. His mom always told him he was going to be something great one day, but what great _thing_ could he be? A mechanic? Professional ball player? Neither one really seemed like his first pick at for a future. He was majoring in business because he just simply didn't know what he wanted to do once he graduated and it seemed like a good catch-all degree.

Oh God, what if they really _were_ stuck as each other for the rest of their lives? He wouldn't have _anything_. He wasn't smart. He couldn't cook or work computers. He didn't have a plan. All he had were his looks and muscles. _Edd_ had those now. He had _everything!_

Suddenly Kevin felt sick to his stomach. He always knew that this situation was bad. He knew that there was a risk that Edd wouldn't be able to fix them and they would have to pretend to be each other forever. Every time it came up, Kevin just brushed it to the back of his mind as something to think about later.

Apparently later decided to show up.

"I-I need to go." Kevin jumped to his feet and darted for the door. He could hear Eddy yelling after him, but he ignored it. He needed to escape. He needed to get away from Edd's life and back to something that was his own. His house popped up on the edge of his vision and he felt his heart wrench again.

What if he could _never_ go home? Never see his friends. Never play ball. Never see his parents again. Never get to yell at the TV with his dad. Never trudge along behind his mom as they went into _just one more_ store, yet secretly enjoy spending the time together. Never eat dinner as a family again. Never sleep in his room.

 _Oh God…_

He felt tears running down his face. He rushed into Edd's house and was immediately confronted by the silence and loneliness that _would be_ his new life. How could the guy _live_ like this? No one was ever around, just him and a giant, empty house. Being here wasn't any better than being at Eddy's.

Kevin found himself wandering to the garage. The computer system was still there. The horrible, stupid thing that had _ruined_ his life. Whatever rational part that was left in his brain through his despair told him not to destroy the machine. It was the last, tiny hope that he had of ever getting back to himself. Plus it would be a waste of the amazing work that Edd had done.

He hated how much he still loved the virtual world that Edd had created. He hated that he felt such a rush of adrenaline being able to fight the Eddy goblins. He hated the proud look Edd had on his face when he solved that riddle. He hated the sense of accomplishment he had for beating the Kanker hydra. It wasn't fair to love something that he hated. So. Damn. Much.

The screen lit up with the launch sequence as he flopped down into the chair. That stupid virtual world was still there calling to him. Just hit the button and go back to adventure and ease in a world that didn't really exist. None of his problems would follow him there.

So why not escape for a while?

* * *

 **Poor Kevin...**

 **As you can tell by how quickly I was getting this chapter to you guys, I had a way easier time writing as Kevin now that I have fumbled my way through it for a month. Hopefully I did a decent job portraying him. This chapter has more dialog between characters than I have ever written in my entire life. I felt like I was going crazy with all the quotation marks that I had to kept missing. I need a hot key for that shit.**

 **So this chapter actually has what I had wanted to be two chapters. When I was writing all the dialog between Kevin and Eddy I saw the perfect segue into the issue of Kevin feeling super insecure about his life and future. Edd really does have a pretty sweet deal in life. He worked really hard to make it happen, and had his fair share of personal struggles (more on that later _*hint hint*_ ), but Kevin is really only seeing the good sides of our favorite dork's life.**

 **Hopefully the next chapter comes to me as easily as this one did.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	12. Chapter 12

It was only a few more hours until Edd's shift was over at the shop. The teasing from his phone call with "Double D" had finally died down to just snickering and knowing grins. Edd sighed as he changed out of his work clothes. This job was more mentally draining than he had every thought physical labor could ever be. Kevin's coworkers would just _not_ leave him alone. The constant teasing and sexual innuendo was enough to make Edd never want ever _actually_ date anyone and have the guys find out.

Not that they would know about Edd dating...It would be Kevin dating; and he wouldn't be dating _Edd_. So there was nothing to worry about.

Right.

Edd slammed his locker closed with more force than he had intended. Stupid thoughts of dating his neighbor had him flustered and blushing furiously. He was being ridiculous and he knew it. Honestly, he had to keep reminding himself that he and Kevin had been more than mere acquaintances for only a few weeks. They had been switched for only two days. Romantic feelings didn't develop in people this quickly.

Not that Edd was experiencing romantic feelings.

 _Good Lord this is absurd._

He mounted Kevin's motorcycle and quickly maneuvered out of the parking lot. Driving and fantasizing- _hallucinating_ -about nonexistent relationships was thankfully something that his brain was apparently incapable of. The wind whipping around him as he sped through the streets calmed his mind. Riding around with his ex had always been their go to strategy for relaxing after large projects or tests. He almost wished that he wasn't driving, so he could close his eyes and just take in the noise of the road and the air rushing around the bike.

Edd couldn't help but feel grateful to his former boyfriend for giving him something that would really free him from his ever racing mind. As a child, Edd had serious problems with anxiety and OCD. He still struggled with them now. Before college he had gone to therapy and learned a few techniques for helping to manage them.

Being away from the safety net of the cul-de-sac and his friends loomed heavily over him for most of his senior year of high school. He knew that he would not be able to handle the stress of it all if he didn't get help, but therapy had always seemed like such an illogical way to handle it. Edd felt that as a man of science, the _soft science_ that was psychology was really beneath him. Honestly, what could talking to complete stranger about his problems hope to solve? He had Ed and Eddy to talk to. He trusted them. Why _pay_ someone to listen to him complain just to get advice that was based off of theories and not actual facts?

Voicing this opinion to Eddy had ended the exact opposite way that Edd had predicted. When he brought up the topic of leaving for college and the anxious thoughts that filled his mind, Eddy's response was to suggest a therapist that he had previously seen for his insecurities. It had been shocking to learn that his friend had been to see a therapist and hadn't told him. Even more so that it had apparently helped. So he looked into what a therapist would actually help him with and found that it wasn't the _soft science_ he had originally thought it to be. Sure, there wasn't the tangible proof of changes in the mind the same way that physical therapy could be seen in the body, and there were many things that were still being discovered as mankind continued to map the human brain, but the numerous accounts of people successfully getting help couldn't be for nothing, so he went to the therapist.

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't easy.

Frankly he _hated_ every second of it.

She was a woman that reminded him way too much of his mother, and she insisted that he needed to start thinking introspectively about the things that had happened to him and around him. What did he think of his parents being away with work all the time? How did the bullying of his peers make him feel? Why was he worried that he wouldn't be able to handle being away from his home and friends? She was patient, but extremely firm. He had to come up with _actual answers_ , not just shrug it off as part of life.

There were several occasions where Edd tried to turn it around on her. Why did she believe that the absence of his parents, or the bullying, or leaving his childhood comforts would have _any_ effect him? He became quite independent without his family around. He was frequently complimented on being so mature and reliable; wasn't that a good thing? The bullying was never physical, just mere teasing from children who don't know any better. Nothing they said was more than slightly hurtful, sticks and stones and all that. He pitied them more than anything. Who wouldn't be nervous about leaving home for the first time? Did she really think that any of this was something that needed to be analyzed and fixed?

His complete denial of needing any assistance had her switching tactics. When was the last time he saw his parents for more than a few hours? Spoke to them face-to-face rather than through phone calls, emails, or the ever dreaded sticky note? Would they come to his graduation? What if they didn't?

Endless questions. Questions that Edd really didn't want to think about answers to, but once they were out there and in his head, he couldn't help but try to analyze them. Slowly, he started to open up to her.

He was lonely. He compensated for the lack on companionship by keeping his mind busy with studies or cleaning. That's where his obsession with cleanliness started. He already felt isolated, so when the bullying started he just felt more like a social outcast. So much so, that he was terrified of what would happen when he left his two true friends behind to continue his studies. Would the world outside of the cul-de-sac accept him?

She assured him that not all people would reject him the way that his family and his current peers had. High schoolers were _notorious_ for being overly judgemental and he would find that college students would be much more accepting of everything that he was. Most would come to appreciate his intelligence and wit. She let him vent the frustrations he didn't realize he had buried so deep and gave him the knowledge to combat his anxious and obsessive tendencies. The few months that he spent talking with her eased his mind for what was to come and he left for college feeling like what he was leaving behind was the worst thing that life would throw at him.

He didn't expect his _brain_ to be switched out of his body.

So he revved the motorcycle and let the wind take his thoughts. Nothing had ever been able to clear his mind the way being on a bike had. Kevin had insisted they ride whenever Edd was stressed. The short redhead was adamant that it was the cure for all things, and Edd wasn't one to disagree once he had really experienced it.

He decided to skip going to the library, opting instead to ride along the highway and let his mind relax for the first time since they logged out of the system two days ago. He figured that Kevin would be stuck with Ed and Eddy for the majority of the night. The trio's hangouts had always been all day affairs whenever Eddy could make it happen. That was even more true now that they were nearing the end of college. If Edd managed to fix Kevin and himself, he would be leaving Peach Creek for the foreseeable future. He could get a job right out of college and stay in that city. He would also have options to work for any of the large computer companies that were scattered around country. He'd truly miss his friends, but he honestly couldn't wait to get out of town and never come back.

Edd wasn't sure just how long he had been riding along the highway. The freedom of the road had taken him two counties over and he was vaguely aware that it had to be well past the time he had intended to be home. He took the next exit and started to head home. Hopefully Kevin would already be asleep and he wouldn't have to worry about hearing from his disgruntled neighbor about the forced playdate with his two friends.

Most of the lights were out in the houses of the cul-de-sac when Edd pulled into his driveway. He had to go to the early morning shift at the shop. He didn't want to wake up Kevin with the garage door opening and closing, since the guest room was right above it.

All of the lights were off in the house signaling that Kevin was probably already asleep or still out with the other Ed's. Edd snuck upstairs just in case it was the former and quickly got ready for bed. It had been a really long day, though he felt more relaxed about everything now that he had freed his mind with his ride. Tomorrow promised to be a much better day.

* * *

 **I apologize for this chapter. I wanted it to be so much more than it is, but I realized it had been over a month since I had posted the last chapter and I was so stuck that I wanted to get you guys something to prove I'm not dead.**

 **The next one will be more interesting, this one was a lot of background about our favorite nerd. I hope you enjoyed despite how short it was. I will try to get the next part of this out as soon as I can. Just been busy and all the crap.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	13. Chapter 13

Edd's alarm buzzed at 5:00 a.m. A large, tanned hand slapped at the off button, and the clock fell silent. Edd grumbled to himself as he rolled around on his bed. He had to be at the shop by 6:00 a.m. to start his shift. The only good thing about going in so early was he would be done by two in the afternoon. He promised himself that he would _actually_ go to the library today since he had skipped out last night.

Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stumbled his way to the bathroom for a shower and to get ready for the day. He glanced at the guest room as he walked down the hall and saw that the door was still open. The other Ed's must have roped Kevin into spending the night. Edd laughed quietly to himself at the thought of Kevin having to spend the night with Eddy. He was tempted to send a text and ask how the evening went, but it was likely that the jock wouldn't be awake yet. It _was_ five in the morning after all. Not exactly a normal wake up time if one didn't have any obligations.

Such as work.

Edd sighed and pulled off the pajama shirt he had been wearing. He glanced in the mirror and took a second to stare at himself. Kevin's body was becoming more familiar to him as the days passed. He didn't feel as self conscious when walking through doorways. He was also way more aware of how much weight he could lift. While at work, he was surprised he could easily remove the tires from cars, or be one of the guys to help push a broken down car into the garage. He always understood the merits of working out, but the actual practice of it was never something that he was able to convince himself to do. Perhaps this whole experience would change that for him.

Leaning over, Edd switched the water on in the shower then closed his eyes and removed his pants. He briefly wondered if he would spend the rest of his life showering or going to the bathroom with his eyes closed; the latter of which was _significantly_ more complicated than he had ever anticipated. One would assume it wouldn't be so difficult to aim while not looking, but the first adventure into that had resulted in him needing to spend twenty minutes scrubbing the bathroom. He shuddered at the memory and moved to blindly scrub himself clean.

Thirty minutes later, Edd was downstairs eating a whole wheat bagel with raspberry preserves and searching through the online library inventory for any books that could possibly help them. The direct searches for "full immersion video game" yielded nothing but science fiction and some manga, neither of which seemed helpful. Computer tech guides seemed too general given the custom built system, and the computer programming texts were more how-to's rather than troubleshooting.

Just then, his phone pinged with an incoming email from Kevin. He had finished going over the diagnostics and had declared the whole system to be functioning perfectly. The switch had to have been caused by some sort of miscoding with multiuser mode. Edd pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He was worried that the issue would be located in his coding. Program malfunctions were easier to find than having to go through the _whole_ code and locate what could be missing or mistyped. Something as simple as a semicolon out of place would throw the whole thing off, and he had hours, if not _days_ , of coding for his program.

He quickly typed back a message to start looking at the code and see if there was anything that obviously stood out as incorrect. Kevin suggested focusing on the area that involved uploading consciousness to the system, and said he would get back to him before noon. With a plan in place, Edd finished off his breakfast and quickly left the house for work.

Cory was just unlocking the shop when he arrived. The two exchanged a quick wave before going about their normal start of work routine. Edd was going to be working on a special project for the day. After he had left for the night, a woman brought her car in complaining that _something_ was wrong, but that the other three mechanics that she had taken it to were not able to fix the problem. Two had insisted that it had to be her alignment, and the last said that she probably needed a new transmission, which would be an outrageous expense for how old her car was. The alignment proved to be near manufacture straight, deeming the other two incompetent in her eyes.

"Find the problem, and I don't mind paying to have it fixed, but I want it to _actually_ be the problem." She left the keys at the front desk, promising to come back in 24 hours for the results.

Cory was a man who took enormous pride in his work. He'd spent almost his entire life working with cars and motorcycles, and he was never one to back down from a challenge. _Especially_ when it came to his customer's satisfaction. He assigned Edd to the car mostly for the educational experience it would be, but also to be a younger set of eyes to look at it.

Cory gripped Edd's shoulder as he lead him to the car, "We old guys are set in our ways. We like to think we fucking know it all because we've seen so much, but there is always something new to learn in this job. Not all problems present themselves in the same way, and it takes a new mind to figure out what to do when shit hits the fan." Edd nodded in understanding, trying to ignore the uncomfortable twinge that formed in his stomach from the swearing. "I don't care if you think the fucking tires need to be changed and that's what the issue is, throw your ideas out there and we'll all learn something."

Edd took the folder with the car's information in it. It was a Mazda Millenia that was well over ten years old. The owner had the car serviced regularly and she said that it had only ever been in one accident. She had been rear-ended and the left tail light and back bumper had to be replaced. She was experiencing issues with the car vibrating inexplicably and a strange squeaking sound. When she goes around turns the engine would rev and the car would jump forward slightly.

Over the next few hours, the team examined the car and brainstormed what could possibly be wrong with it. There were a _million_ options for what could be causing the vibrating and squeaking noise. Loose belts was a big one, but she'd had them replaced in the car only a couple of years ago as a standard maintenance. The belts should be good for almost a decade. If the transmission was actually going, the price to replace it was not worth the price of the car. Even cheap transmissions were in the thousands of dollars. The options for what could be wrong with the vehicle were starting to get into the more rare and extreme issues, which also meant the more expensive ones. The owner said that she would pay to have the problem fixed. If the repairs were going to cost more than the value of the car, Edd doubted that she would actually go through with her promise.

Around 10:30, Edd took a break to check his phone. He had a new email from Kevin. He was simply letting him know that he was about a quarter of the way through the multiuser code, and hadn't found anything that stood out for possibly causing the glitch. He also mentioned that it would probably be a good idea to meet in person, so they could look at the code together and bounce ideas back and forth. Edd vehemently opposed the idea. The last thing Edd wanted was to have to face his ex while he looked like the Grecian God his neighbor was, or have said neighbor meet the _other_ Kevin.

"How's the diagnostics goin', Kev?" Cory walked into the break room with two sodas. He tossed one at Edd, who _thankfully_ only fumbled in slightly.

Edd sighed, "Haven't found anything yet." The irony of the double meaning of his question left him feeling more defeated than Cory probably intended.

"Don't worry about it kid. Every car stops driving eventually. This one has probably just reached the end of the line."

"Oh!" Edd jumped to his feet, green eyes shining with realization. "The end of the line!"

Cory quirked a brow at him, "Kev?"

"It's the driveline! I bet the driveline is giving out." Edd hurried from the room to the shop, Cory was right behind him.

Adrian had the hood of the car propped up and was elbow deep into some part of the engine when Edd and Cory came around the corner. He jerked his head in their direction as they approached the car, "'Sup dudes?"

"We need to lift the car. Check the driveline." Edd stated as he tossed Adrian a towel and slammed the hood shut.

"The driveline? Why?"

"If the car is having difficulty turning and then engine revs it must be experiencing issues connecting somewhere. The squeaking sound is probably the coupling straining against itself, and that explains the vibrating too. It comes out of the socket and shakes then settles back in."

Much to Adrian's and Cory's surprise, the driveline was barely holding itself together. Adrian even took pictures. It was a miracle the car was even still functioning. Cory left to call the owner and told her that it would only be a few hundred dollars to replace the driveline and she could have the car back in a couple days once the parts came in.

Cory clapped Edd on the back once he was off the phone. He had a big grin plastered on his face, "Knew you were going to be good Kev. Great job."

Edd smiled widely at the praise. He couldn't wait to get home and tell Kevin about it. He was sure that his neighbor would appreciate the hard work that he was putting in here.

The rest of the day passed without anything of note. By two o'clock, Edd was more than ready to get to the library and relax among the books. His ex had continued to email him with updates. Kev had said there was only one small area that he thought might have been miscoded, but they needed to discuss it "perhaps over coffee?" Edd had rolled his eyes and refused once again. He might not be the best at relationships, but he was _not_ a fool. With his phone set to do-not-disturb and a plan in mind, he made his way downtown to the library.

The quiet rows of the public library had always been a sort of solace for him. It was a sacred place. Ed and Eddy never came here, nor did any of his tormentors when he was in high school. The very idea of the place probably kept it off limits. Some nonsense about _image_ or whatever they thought.

He scanned the shelves of computer tech books, reading the back covers and skimming a few pages of each. Most, as he had originally thought, would not be helpful for what he needed to do. There were a couple that talked about best practices for finding bugs in programs that work, but don't work. He was leaving the aisle when one book called _Immersive Programming_ caught his eye. It had been written nearly a decade ago, but the description was talking about exactly what his project was. The author described the requirements for a full immersion world and the risks that could possibly come with trying create it.

"While modern day video games create fantasy worlds to escape into, the real world is always present to keep their minds grounded. Small reminders of their real life keep the player's consciousness balanced in reality. A full immersion game would take the player's mind away from everything that it is familiar with and lock it into that fantasy world. The possibility of the mind becoming dependent on that fantasy is much the same way that our bodies can become dependent on an addiction. Reality is too uncomfortable to live with, and the fantasy becomes their everything. Why spend every day living the boring life of an accountant or school teacher, when one can be the hero of an entire world?"

Edd paused his reading to think about the idea. Was building a virtual world actually a bad thing? This author seemed to think that the possibility of the players becoming disassociated with reality was a real danger. He tucked the book on top of his pile and made his way to a nearby table.

He spent the next several hours perusing the tech books and making mental notes about things to check in his code. It was peaceful. Almost as peaceful as riding had been the night before. Edd placed a scrap of paper in the book he currently was reading to mark his spot and grabbed his phone. It was almost eight o'clock, he was shocked by how quickly the time had gone by. Eddy had called him and left a voicemail and his email box was blinking with over a dozen new messages from Kevin. The first couple were about the program, but the rest were short one or two line messages asking to meet up and begging forgiveness.

 _Contacting him was a mistake._

Edd sighed and moved on to check the voicemail that Eddy had left. He had called about two hours earlier while on his way to home from work. "Hey Double D. I wanna make sure you're OK after last night." He sighed, "I know you said it was fine to talk about what happened between you and that _douchebag_ ex of yours, but you seemed really upset when you left. We don't have to talk about it anymore, or anything like that, but...just send me a text or somethin' when you get this so I know you're alright." Edd was frozen in place, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his phone. "And…and if you really like Shovel-chin...if you really like _Kevin_ , don't let the past get in the way of it. Don't let _me_ get in the way of it neither. You know Ed and me just want you to be happy... A-anyway...later."

 _Just what happened at Eddy's last night?!_

Edd was shaking slightly, his phone still gripped tight in his hand. Kevin hadn't been home when he left this morning. If he hadn't spent the night with Ed and Eddy, where _was_ he? Edd had always known that Kevin was a rash sort of person. He made his decisions and then dealt with the consequences after. Had the conversation with Eddy been significant enough to cause him to run off? Where exactly did Kevin take _his_ body?

He quickly grabbed up his books and headed to the front to check them out. The motorcycle was one of the last vehicles in the parking lot. Edd hurried over and shoved the books into the saddlebag, before revving the bike and zooming out onto the street. He was vaguely aware that he was speeding, but his panic to get home and find Kevin was overriding the more sensible part of his brain. The tires squealed against the road as he turned harshly into the cul-de-sac. He was thankful that his house was right at the opening, it was just _that much_ faster to finally be home.

Edd jumped off the bike and rushed inside, "Kevin?!"

The house was still dark, just as he left it. There weren't any signs of anything being moved since he'd gone to work. He took the stairs two at a time to find the guest room door still open, and unsurprisingly empty.

"Kevin?!" He shouted again, as he looked around.

Kevin couldn't have gone very far, right? Edd didn't own a car, so the motorcycle was their only means of transportation and Edd had had it for work last night. He dashed back downstairs and checked the other rooms, but Kevin wasn't anywhere to be found. His last hope was the garage.

He pushed open the door and immediately gasped. Kevin was hooked up to the computer, the helmet lights glinting in the dark of the garage. The computer screen was dark, but the soft hum from the tower indicated that is was running. Edd quickly moved to the screen and brought up the program. Kevin had been inside the system for over _24 hours_.

Edd went to cancel the program and bring Kevin back, only to find that his neighbor had set it to player release. If he wasn't so worried about Kevin being in a virtual world for over a day, he would have been impressed with his ability to figure out how to do that. He set up his headset instead.

"Kevin?! Can you hear me?"

There was no response. Edd pulled up the world on his computer and scrolled around to try and find the redhead. He wasn't in the maze or the hydra dungeon, and the field was empty. He made a mental note to create a way to find players in the world, so that no one could wander too far and become permanently lost.

 _Permanently lost._

 _SHIT!_

"Kevin, I'm coming in there to find you!" Edd grabbed the other helmet and set up the launch program for himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hopefully, he could find Kevin quickly and bring him home.

* * *

 **Alright my people. We're getting close to the end here. I again apologize for how long it took me to get this out. I've had the worst time trying to write this story. I still love it, but I also have a million ideas for the next story I want to write and those keep blocking me from this one. Do you guys have any tips on how to stay focused on one story at a time? I keep feeling the need to write one chapter for my new ideas and then never coming back to it. I'll try anything. I really want to finish this.**

 **So what do you guys think is the actual problem with the program? We might find out next chapter, or maybe the one after that. It will be soon though. I'd love to hear your guesses.**

 **Thank you all for sticking with this while I struggle my way through haha. I really appreciate it and you comments always brighten my day. I go back and read them every time I feel stuck. This next chapter is for you Falling-Pixie, we're going back to the virtual world!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


	14. Chapter 14

The virtual world slowly loaded around Edd. The first thing he noticed was that the apple tree was bare. The leaves had turned a rusty brown and were covering the ground around the trunk. As his eyes scanned the area he noticed the moss covered maze walls were devoid of the usual green tinge he had programmed. Everything in the area felt dried up, dying.

"Kevin?"

His voice echoed off into the distance until it faded and silence returned. _It's not like he can go anywhere...I didn't program that much of the world._

With that thought in mind he headed off past the maze into the field of tall grass. The subtle rustling of the blades against his boots and leggings was a cacophony of sound to his ears against the quiet of the area. The wind was blowing only enough for air to be present against his face, as the weight of the grass could hold its own against the breeze. So the endless meadow stretched on with nothing to reveal, and especially no Kevin.

As he walked, Edd's thoughts traveled to the possible places Kevin could hide in the virtual world. Really, there weren't any actual locations that existed outside of the maze and the apple tree. He'd kept the program simple, but perhaps that was going to lead to his downfall in this situation. Nothing but _grass_. Infinite to the unreachable mountains. Kevin had over a day to travel through the field, with no promise that he would ever have to circle back to the two only landmarks that existed in the world.

Humans were known for their ability to walk endlessly. Really, the only thing that could ever stop a person was the need for food and rest, but _here_ ; here the virtual mind could wander for as long as the body outside could sustain it. What would that come to? A week? What would happen to Kevin's mind once Edd's body gave out from a lack of hydration? Would the mind stay connected to the world, or would he fade away, as the physical side had.

Edd shook the thoughts from his head as he continued on. Kevin wasn't so stupid as to _die_ in here. Something obviously drew him in here, he would leave once he fulfilled that task. It was only logical.

Right?

Still, every minute that passed with nothing to see except even _more_ grass, was just another pull at his already frayed nerves. He let his mind wander to more trivial topics to keep his mood up. He was planning on making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight. He had found a great recipe the other day and had been wanting to try it. The portion sizing on it was on the more generous side, so he'd originally planned on saving it for when Ed and Eddy could come over and join him. Since he had Kevin to take care of now, as well as Kevin's insatiable appetite to deal with, now seemed as good a time as any to try it out.

It has only been a couple days, but Kevin had already mentioned a few times how much he enjoyed Edd's cooking. Kevin seemed to enjoy food in general, but the happy grin on his face while eating whatever Edd had made for dinner would always be a happy memory for the genius. It wasn't often that he got to cook for others. Sarah would insist on family dinners, and Ed would never refuse his baby sister anything. Eddy's mom was an amazing cook and while Eddy was never particularly picky about what he ate, a boy can't really deny his mama's cooking. Edd couldn't really remember the last time he had been able to cook for his own parents. Too long...probably.

The sun was fading behind the distance mountains now. The wind had picked up slightly. If any of this was real, Edd probably would be wishing for a jacket. However, even as the air chilled his skin, he didn't really feel all that cold. The setting of the sun did stop his search though. Night was only set to last for 20 minutes or so. He had originally liked the idea of having short days and nights so that the time in the virtual world felt longer than it actually was. However, now it was just inconvenient as he would have to stop his search for Kevin everytime the sun went down. It was just too dark to see.

Edd dropped his bow to the ground and laid beside it. He had programmed the night sky to resemble that of an area in the southern hemisphere. He hoped to be able to travel the world someday, but as all the colleges he was applying for were in the United States, he figured this would be a good way to observe a different night sky on a budget. Plus, those who were not versed in astronomy would think he had created all the star patterns on his own. An innocent "cheat" to the system.

The stars floated across his vision has he did his best to name the constellations he recognized. His thoughts once again lost in other subjects.

"38 days."

Edd jolted up and turned to see Kevin standing just behind him.

"K-Kevin! I've been loo-"

"I've been here for 38 days."

"What are you talking about?" Edd jumped to his feet and grabbed the sleeve of Kevin's tunic. He didn't really think that the jock would try to escape again, after all, he just made his presence known when he could have just walked away, but the reassurance was nice.

"When I came here, the sun was just rising over the maze. That was 37 days ago." Kevin was staring at the sky. His eyes tracing unseen images in a game of connect-the-dots.

Edd shook his head, "It's only been a little over a day. You were hanging out with Ed and Eddy only yesterday."

"But...I've been here for so long."

"Here doesn't exist, Kevin! This isn't real! Do you really think that a day last less than a half hour? Or that everything in the world is made of _grass_?"

Kevin cocked a brow as he looked at him. "Do you think that we can really switch bodies? Do you think that is something that is _real_?"

Edd took a small step backwards, shocked at the thought.

"I'm me here. The me I've always known. The me I've always wanted to be…" His gaze returned to the sky.

"You're not making any sense." Edd tugged at Kevin's sleeve, trying to pull him back into the conversation.

"I just want to be me," the mumbled reply was almost inaudible.

Edd reached out and grabbed Kevin's face, forcing him to make eye contact, "You are _you_. You've always been _you_. The mind is where everything that makes you, _you_ , is stored. We may be temporarily stuck as one another, but you have never stopped being Kevin Barr."

Kevin gripped Edd's shoulders and pushed him back forcefully, causing him to hit the ground. "Fuck you, Edd!"

The genius scrambled to his feet, "What has gotten into you? You're acting not like yourself."

"Well of course I'm not! I'm stuck as _you_."

"I've already told you," Edd sighed, "You're still _you_. Your physical form has not changed who you are. Do you think that when you are old and wrinkled that you won't be _you_ anymore?"

Kevin scoffed and rolled his eyes, "That's not the same and you know it."

Edd threw his hands in the air, "How is it not?!"

"I can't _be_ me when I have to be you. I can't go hang out with my friends. I can't go to work. I can't even go _home_! What if I can never go home?! What is we're stuck like this forever? Huh, Dork?"

Edd's reply was quiet, "You know I would never let that happen."

"Oh really? Then why are we still stuck? Tell me, genius, why haven't you been able to fix us yet?" Kevin was glaring at the taller boy. An accusation was obvious in his tone.

"What are you trying to say, Kevin?"

"I'm asking you why you haven't been able to fix us yet."

It was Edd's turn to scoff and roll his eyes in response, "That may have been the question you asked, but you are implying something else. So, I'll ask again, _what_ are you trying to say?"

Kevin remained silent, wrapping his arms around himself and turning away, but Edd pressed on. "What are you insinuating here? That I _want_ us to stay this way? I told you after this happened that I had no desire to live your life."

"For someone who doesn't want to live my life you're doing a great job of being me," Kevin grumbled.

"For appearances! We couldn't just have you disappear. You have a family here, friends, a job! You can't just drop off the face of the Earth for an indeterminate amount of time."

"Oh yeah? If that's the logic, then why do I have to hide away at your house? Shouldn't I be going out and convincing your stupid friends you're not dead?"

Edd took a step closer and leaned into Kevin's face. "First of all," his voice was deep and filled with barely contained rage, "My friends are not stupid. They are the closest thing I have to a family, so I would _greatly_ appreciate it if you kept your ill-conceived opinions of them to yourself. Secondly, I do not have a job. I do not have a particularly active social life. I do not have _parents_ waiting for me everyday. I have my project; that I keep in my garage and work on _alone_. You are not _hiding_ away, you are being _me_. Welcome to it."

Kevin's eyes softened as the he took a moment to examine Edd's face. Since when had he seemed so sad? He had great life, and an even better future! Where was all this hurt coming from? His ex? Getting cheated on blows, but that was months ago, wasn't it?

"Why would you choose that life?"

Edd backed away, allowing the ginger to take in his whole figure. He was skinny, ridiculously so. Pale and overall unassuming. Except for his eyes. Even with the virtual rendering, they glowed with a sadness and depth of knowledge that Kevin knew _nothing_ of.

"I am not one to easily socialize with strangers or overcome injustices brought upon me by people I have laid my trust it. It is simpler to avoid them, and the inevitable hurt that comes with it."

"That's bullshit." Kevin stated, "You can't just give up because some guy was a prick to you in the past."

The sadness quickly faded from Edd's eyes as his anger flared up again, "And what would _you_ know of it?!"

Kevin paused, steeling his nerves for what he was about to do. "I know you were cheated on." He said gently, sympathetic, "And I know that you haven't dated anyone else, or will, because of this guy. Eddy talked about it….thinking I was you…I understand what that must have been like."

"Oh yes, my personal choices in life must all stem from being cheated on last year. Do you think just because you were also cheated on, we suddenly have a deeper understanding of each other? I don't want your sympathy or your pity."

Kevin's eyes widened in shock, "H-how do you know about that?"

"I found your keepsake album in the closet while I was grabbing clothes for your "trip with the guys". Tell me Kevin, are you completely open to giving your trust to others after she blamed you for pushing her away. Blamed _you_ for feeling the need to sleep with some dude she met at the club. Did you just want to go frolicking around and find a new partner after such a heartbreak?" Edd knew that what he was saying was hurtful. He knew that this was a topic close to Kevin's heart, but if the guy was going to throw stones, he should expect a few back at him.

"No. I didn't."

Now that was not the reaction he expected.

Kevin sighed, "I didn't want to date again. It hurt. It hurt knowing that she cared so little for me that she would cheat. It hurt for her to blame _me_ for it. It hurt that she wouldn't talk to me about and instead hid behind a letter that she had _the dude she slept with_ drop off at my dorm. That was pretty shitty. And it hurt to think that maybe she was right. Maybe I had driven her away. Maybe I was a terrible boyfriend who was too focused on baseball to be there for her. Maybe I didn't deserve her."

Kevin looked his eyes on Edd again, a sad smile playing around his lips, "Then I thought that maybe she didn't deserve _me_. She didn't understand my passion for sports, and she didn't try to understand cars or bikes. She'd complain when I didn't support her, but she didn't really support me back, so why should I give her everything that I am when she won't give me the same?

"So, I went out and dated again, and I found guys and girls that were awesome and some that were horrible. I got my heartbroken again, but I broke few too. I moved on. Can you say you've done the same?"

The sun was rising again as Kevin waited for Edd to answer. The ray of light slowly creeping up his thin form. When the sun finally illuminated Edd's face, it was blank and void of all emotion. His eyes had returned to that glowing depth from before. Sad yet intelligent.

He opened his mouth to speak, but just silently turned away. Finally he mumbled out, "We are off topic Kevin. We should go home. I have another theory for fixing us that I would like to try before it gets much later." With that, he opened his menu and disappeared from the meadow.

* * *

 **I apologize again for the long wait. I was hopelessly stuck on this chapter. I knew what I wanted to have happen, but getting it written was impossible. So after several crappy first drafts and one _really_ late night, here it is!**

 **So, we finally know what Stephanie did to Kevin. Only took 6 chapters to make it happen, but there it is. I've always loved the resilient Kevin that overcame all of his hardships. Give or take a mental breakdown or two (chapter 11) hahaha. Do you think Edd will open up to Kevin now? He didn't seem to willing at the end of this. Kind of "pulled a Kevin" and disappeared from the world to avoid a conversation, huh?**

 **Let me know what you guys think will happen next. I love reading your comments, they really keep me motivated to finish this story. I really want to finish it. I'm tired of not seeing me projects through to the end.**

 **Again, I'm really sorry for the hiatus on this. I'll try not to let it happen again.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cthepolkadots**


End file.
